Wednesday, 30 June 2021

Train Service Resumes In Kashmir Valley After 7 Weeks

SRINAGAR: Train services in Kashmir have been resumed on Thursday after remaining suspended for at least seven weeks.

After remaining suspended for more than seven weeks train services resumed partially in Kashmir on Thursday. KL Image by Bilal Bahadur

A senior railway official told Kashmir Life that train service connecting Kashmir with Banihal was resumed on Thursday morning in the valley.

He said that a train chugged between Budgam and Banihal only as per their existing timetable on Thursday morning. “The train will make only two trips on the stretch,” he added.

Passengers buying train tickets at the railway station on Thursday, July 1, 2021. KL Image by Bilal Bahadur

The train service from Budgam towards Baramulla shall remain suspended for now, said an official.



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India Reports 48,786 New COVID-19 Cases, 1,005 Deaths In Last 24 Hours

SRINAGAR: India reported 48,786 new Covid-19 cases and 1,005 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to data released by the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry on Thursday.

On June 30, India recorded 817 fatalities due to the coronavirus, lowest since April 10.

The death figures have crossed 1,000 mark once again after three days.

This is the 13th consecutive day in the last two months when the toll has been below the 2,000-mark.

The total caseload rose to 3,04,11,634 after India crossed the three crore mark last week.

India is the second country after the US to record more than three crore cases, adding one crore cases in the last 50 days.

It is also the 23rd consecutive day when India reported less than one lakh new coronavirus cases. On June 29, India recorded 37,566 cases, lowest since March 18 while on June 22 India reported 42,640 cases.

The active cases have now come down below 6 lakh. The country has 5,23,257 active cases presently and has witnessed 3,99,459 deaths so far.

According to the Union Health Ministry, a total of 61,588 people have been discharged in the last 24 hours, taking the total discharge to 2,94,88,918 till date.

The Health Ministry said that a total of 33,57,16,019 people have been vaccinated so far in the country, including 27,60,345 who were administered vaccines in the last 24 hours.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research, 41,20,21,494 samples have been tested up to June 29 for Covid-19. Of these 19,21,450 samples were tested on Wednesday. (IANS)



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Man Killed In Scuffle, Two Others Injured

SRINAGAR: A 51-year old man was killed while two others were injured from nomad tribal community during a scuffle over erection of a tent at Panar village in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district.

Quoting a police official news agency KDC reported that on Wednesday evening a family of nomads who were establishing their tent temporarily at Kachi Behak (meadow) were opposed by some persons of Panar village and attacked upon the nomads resulting in the injuries of three persons including a female.

He said all the injured were immediately shifted to District hospital Bandipora for treatment; however one injured identified as Mohammad Iqbal Kalas (51) son of Mohammad Ali succumbed to his injuries. The dead body is lying in District Hospital Bandipora for postmortem

The other two injured identified as Ranja Pokda (70) and Rohi Akther daughter of Showket Kathana both residents of Anderwat Rajouri have been admitted at SDH Bandipora, he added.

Meanwhile, police have taken cognizance of the matter and registered a case in this regard.



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The British Babus’

Kashmir history owes a lot to a number of British officers who helped the exploited residents to get certain rights that the East India Company literally denied through the Treaty of Amritsar writes M Saleem Beg

A photograph reportedly clicked in 1885 shows a British encampment in Srinagar. British influences in Srinagar increased post-1846.

The treaty commonly called Bainama Amritsar was signed on March 16, 1846 AD, subsequent to and in consequence of the disintegration of the Sikh empire of Punjab. Under the treaty, a huge territory west of River Ravi and east of River Indus was ceded and transferred to the Dogra Raja of Jammu, Maharaja Gulab Singh. The treaty, through different clauses, bestowed the unfettered right to the Maharaja over the life and property of the local population which led to extortionary taxation resulting in unprecedented human suffering.

The treaty and its violent implementation led to embarrassment for the British rulers who made some serious attempts for corrections in running the affairs of the ceded territory, particularly Kashmir.  These corrections were introduced by deputing British officers for bringing order and accountability to the system of administration.

At a time in history when events and actions revolved around men of adventure and merit, Kashmir has had a fair share of such people who were serving the British Empire in India with distinction and a great amount of objectivity. They were professionals in different fields with passion and concern for the common good and keen realization of the miseries and abject living conditions inflicted on the Kashmir populace.

The Migration

Immediately after the acquisition of the territory, Maharaja Gulab Singh surpassed his predecessor rulers in heavy taxation, mostly on peasants and the lucrative shawl industry. As a result of this unbearable burden, on  June 6, 1847, within a year of the transfer of Kashmir to Maharaja under the Treaty,  about 4,000 shawl-bafs managed to flee the valley for Punjab to escape this ruinous taxation and compulsory weaving laws.

A chromo-lithograph by William Simpson illustrates the return visit of Viceroy Lord Canning to Maharaja Ranbir Singh on March 9, 1860. It shows a shawl being offered to the visiting British leader. Maharaja is sitting next to the visiting Viceroy.

To prevent the growing emigration of the Shawl–bafs, a Rehdari system ordering his troops to plug all the escape routes and passes was also put in place. When the British Government got to know about this inhuman treatment of the subjects living in the ceded territory, they deputed  Lieutenant Reynell Taylor, Assistant to the Resident at Lahore and later Major General of British Army to Srinagar to investigate the grievances of Muslims. He was accompanied by another British officer, Mr Melvin.

According to the period records, soon after his arrival, a meeting of the Muslims of Srinagar was convened at the Maisuma Maidan on June 21, 1847. Taylor himself records that ‘the queries were raised by Kashmiri Muslims whether the two officers had full powers to do whatever they liked, whether, in the case of complaints, they were to interfere authoritatively to procure redress. Whether they could guarantee the subsequent safety of those who came forward with substantial complaints’.

Taylor had nothing positive to offer though it was subsequently rumoured that ‘he succeeded in persuading the Maharaja to dismiss Diwan Karam Chand,’ the highest official of Durbar. Based on the report from Lt Taylor Lord Hardinge, the Governor-General sent a demarche, a strong warning to the Maharaja and sought a reduction in taxes, Baaj, Nazrana, the introduction of new regulations for the reorganization of Shawl industry and some other action to relieve the burden on Kashmiris. The visit of Lt Taylor thus served as an alarm and also set rethinking and remorse about the treaty of Amritsar itself.

A Survey

The British rule in India also saw the introduction of a wide range of modern planning tools, methods and applications required for socio-economic uplift. The most significant of this was a land survey that would enable the rulers to understand land boundaries, locate and map the boundaries and corners of geographic features of the country.

Durbar Arrives: Maharaja Partap Singh being taken to his palace in Srinagar in a huge boat. Photo Ottoo Hanigmann

They, therefore, set up the Trigonometrical Survey of India (TSI) with the aim of creating scientifically drawn maps by professional surveyors. In the case of Kashmir, they also persuaded the Maharaja as early as 1855 AD to grant permission to the TSI for undertaking the mapping and survey of the territories ceded to the Maharaja.

Major T G Montgomerie was assigned the survey, who laid a solid foundation of the survey tools and protocol. However, he died even while the survey was in process and after his death, J Peyton followed upon the work of his predecessor and prepared an authentic map of Kashmir and its surrounding mountains and sub valleys. Thus a map of Kashmir, first-ever to the scale of an atlas, was published by the Survey General’s office at Dehradun in 1861.

The Gazetteer

After the formal publication of the scaled atlas by the Surveyor General of India from Dehradun based on the work done by the TSI, the work on the preparation of a Gazetteer was undertaken in 1870 AD by an able and eminent British officer, Charles Ellison Bates. The entries in the gazetteer included demography; physical geography; political boundaries; industry, trade, and service activities; agriculture historical, and archaeological points of interest; longitude, latitude, and elevations; distance to relevant places; pronunciations; official local government place-names.

Mrs Robert Clark facing a howling mob set by the Maharaja of Kashmir against her family to prevent them from setting up a dispensary in Srinagar.

Bates makes a reference to the servitude and exclusion of Kashmiri Muslims from the tyrannical rule by mentioning that the State charged taxes only from the Muslim population and non-Muslims were fully exempted from such taxation. The exemption was also extended to Syeds and some peer families of Muslims. He also refers to the number of Government servants numbering 5573, none of them a Muslim. Out of 403 jagirdars, only five were Muslims.  There were 285 Muslims out of 7500 petty government servants. So much for a 95 per cent Muslim state population, an arrangement silently acquiesced by the British rulers.

Oppression and Exploitation

Under the treaty of Amritsar in 1846 AD, the British government transferred practically the ownership of land to the family of Gulab Singh. Land revenue being the main source of income for the State, the ruling establishment operated a very oppressive and arbitrary collection system that resulted in reducing the agrarian population to penury and starvation. In order to mitigate the sufferings of the local peasants, the British rulers persuaded Maharaja Pratap Singh to carry out a settlement of the land records in order to bring some discipline and order to revenue collection.

In this 1895 photograph preserved and owned by the British Library, a Dogra soldier is seen keeping a watch while Kashmiri women work on Maharaja’s fields as forced labourers on Begar. The photograph taken in the Srinagar periphery is believed to have been taken in Pampore.

Accordingly in the year 1887, the services of Andrew Wingate, the British Bureaucrat, later Sir Andrew Wingate, KCIE, ICS, were loaned to Kashmir Durbar. Wingate brought with him the vast experience of surveys and boundary settlements in the western part of the Indian subcontinent. He initiated settlement operations in Kashmir and undertook a survey of two Kashmir Tehsils, namely Lar and Phak on a pilot basis. He also recommended a reduction in taxation, more rights to the peasants including hereditary and proprietary ownership of land and abolition of forced labour.

Sir Walter Lawrance

The Lawrence Sahab

Accordingly another eminent British officer, Walter R Lawrence was appointed as the Settlement Commissioner.  Lawrence carried on his settlement operations in a highly systematic and professional manner. He drew up a map of every village, recorded details relating to the class of lands, source of irrigation, number and kind of trees, revenue payable etc. He classified the soil into different types and divided the entire area into assessment circles.

An important feature of Lawrence’s Settlement pertained to the ownership of land. The fixation of the state revenue demand for a longer period helped the cultivators to improve the soil and this, in turn, increased production.

M Y Taing, an eminent Kashmir historian, referring to the path-breaking work of Sir Walter Lawrence writes that “the settlement in practical terms transferred the ownership of land from Maharaja and mutated all lands into hereditary ownership of the peasants. This was the first step in history to restore the dignity of a devastated people through the worst kind of subjugation for centuries. Kashmiris called Sir Lawrence Laran Saheb with the utmost affection”.

M Saleem Beg

These personalities have become part of the history of the progression of Kashmiris from a medieval unjust system to the new concepts and entitlements of a modern State. All subsequent up-gradation and evolutionary actions like the Abolition of Big Landed Estates Act, Propriety rights to the tillers etc were built on the foundations laid by them. We as a Nation owe all of them our admiration, gratitude and indebtedness.

( The writer is Convener INTACH, and former Director-General Tourism, Jammu and Kashmir.)



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11 Years Later, Kashmir Man Moves Out of Jail As An Innocent With 2 Masters Certificates

by Ibtisam Fayaz Khan

SRINAGAR: In yet another case of an honourable acquittal, a Kashmiri man moved out of jail 11 years after his arrest. During his protracted imprisonment, Bashir Ahmad Baba lost his father but he continued to stay sane and managed two post-graduation.

Mokhta Begum showering toffees on Bashir Ahmed Baba, her son, who was acquitted of all charges by a Gujarat court and set free after 11 years. He reached his Rainawari home on June 29, 2021.

At his Rainawari residence, this Vadodra Central Jail inmate is reliving the pain by sharing with his relatives and friends the crisis of living in the most difficult conditions of his life. For the first three years of his imprisonment, Baba was held in an 8 x 10 feet cell that would normally push people to insanity.

Baba was arrested by ATS (anti-terrorism Squad) in Ahmedabad Gujarat in 2010 for being a militant associate. He was working for an NGO – Maaya Foundation that worked to treat children suffering from cleft lip and cleft palate in India. As an assistant project manager of the campaign, Bashir went to Gujarat with his fellow colleagues for 15 days of training for camp management. After spending six days, he was detained and taken to ATS (anti-terrorism Squad) Headquarters.

Baba, then 32, a Rainawari, Srinagar resident, was accused of being a member of Hizbul Mujahideen planning to set up a base in Gujarat, brainwashing youth, and sending them to Pakistan for training in 2010. Several TV channels branded him Pepsi Bomber.

Baba was a science graduate and had joined the NGO. Prior to that, he had his own private computer coaching centre named Wintech Institute of Computer Education in Rainawari where he would impart basic computer knowledge to aspiring youth. When he went for training as part of the NGO, the family was looking for his bride.

It was on February 17, when a raid was carried out by ATS on their flat where Baba was residing with his other colleagues, Dr Anand Vijay, an intern with the NGO. Both were driven to ATS Headquarters.

Anand was released soon but Baba was sent on remand to the Central Jail Vadodara. He said he had no idea of the charges against him. “Initially, I didn’t know my crime,” Baba said. “Many weeks later, I came to know that I have been charged under UAPA.”

“There was the hope of freedom, but we were aware of the time-consuming process of the judiciary,” he said. His NGO, the Maaya Foundation, interestingly, avoided any interference in the matter. He went to jail at the age of 33 and spent 11 years in jail.

After Baba understood that the impossibility of moving out, he utilized his time in studies. In these 11 years, he completed two Post-graduation degrees in political science and public administration through IGNOU. He also did his PG diploma in intellectual property rights.

Bashir Ahmad Baba showing his degree certificates that he earned while in jail for 11 years in Gujarat. He reached home on June 29, 2021, after the court acquitted him of all charges. KL Image: Ibtisam Fayaz Khan

Baba remembers sketching his thoughts on paper and doing Yoga to retain his health. What is interesting is that Bashir praised the jail authorities and has no complaint about their behaviour. The officers of the welfare department of Vadodara jail helped him and took care of his basic educational requirements provided him with stationery items as Baba was fond of sketching.

Baba remembers his father Ghulam Nabi Baba and his younger brother, Nazir Ahmed Baba, visiting him for the first time after three months of his detention. Looking at his son in the prison cell, the family said Ghulam Nabi went into depression and later died due to colon cancer in 2017. When the Baba senior was critical, the family sought bail for their son which was denied. Baba after reaching home went directly to his father’s grave and prayers.

After Baba Sr’s death, the family was worried that Baba’s mother, a frail, aged Mokhta Begum is somehow managed on the hope that her son will be home soon. This hope led her to manage all these years and when finally she got him back, she still finds it hard to believe.  For all these years, she said, she would go to the mosque Imams’ and plead for prayers for her son.

It was the additional session’s judge, S A Nakum, who according to Baba, acquitted him of all the charges levelled against him under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). “Humne Apko Bari kardiya,” the judge ruled and Baba was excited.

After 11 years when Baba walked out of the prison, he kept with him the countless letters and the photographs that his family had sent him to lessen his suffering. The other possessions are his degree certificates.



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Militants Slain In Kulgam Gunfight Identified

SRINAGAR: Three militants killed in a gunfight with the counter-insurgent forces in Chimmer area of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district were affiliated with Lashkar-e-Toiba outfit (TRF), police said.

A police spokesman in a statement said that acting on specific information generated by Kulgam Police about the presence of militants in Chimmer area of Kulgam, a joint cordon and search operation was launched by Kulgam Police, 18Bn CRPF and 09RR in the said area.

“During the search operation as the presence of militants got ascertained they were repeatedly appealed to surrender, however, they fired indiscriminately upon the joint search parties in which 2 Army men got injured and airlifted to Srinagar based Army hospital. SFs also retaliated which leading to an encounter,” said the spokesman.

“In the ensuing encounter, three militants were killed and their bodies were retrieved from the site of encounter. They have been identified as Waseem Ahmad Bangroo resident of Redwani Kulgam, Shahnawaz Ahmad resident of Kilbal Shopian and Zakir Bashir resident of Chimmer Kulgam. All the slain were affiliated with proscribed LeT terror outfit ( self claimed TRF),” he said.

“Pertinently, Zakir Bashir had recently joined the proscribed outfit. As per police records, all the killed militants were part of group involved in various crimes,” he added.

“Incriminating material including arms & ammunition were recovered from the site of encounter. In this connection police has registered a case under relevant sections of law and investigation has been initiated. People are requested to cooperate with police till the area is completely sanitized and cleared off of all the explosive materials, if any,” said police spokesman in a statement.



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Day-Picnickers Barred From Visiting Pahalgam On Weekends: DC Anantnag

SRINAGAR: The district administration Anantnag has barred day picnickers from visiting Pahalgam, a famous tourist place in the district on weekends in a bid to prevent a possible COVID-19 resurgence.

The administration in an order issued in this regard has stated that a large number of tourists after pitching tents in an unregulated manner was posing a plausible danger to fragile eco-system of the tourist place.

Quoting Deputy Commissioner (DC) Anantnag Dr Piyush Singla the news agency KNO reported that the situation is being closely monitored by the district administration Anantnag as huge rush of visitors was witnessed in Pahalgam.

In view of the ongoing Covid situation, the administration decided to take some measures and for now the day picnickers have been barred on Saturdays and Sundays.

“However, those with the proofs of confirmed bookings shall be allowed to proceed towards Pahalgam”, he said.

An order issued by Deputy Commissioner Anantnag, a copy of which lies with KNO, reads that a large number of local tourists are thronging Pahalgam tourist destination especially on the weekends, and heavy influx of tourists poses the danger of a resurgence of Covid-19 pandemic.

“It has been also observed that a large number of tourists are pitching tents in an unregulated manner at a number of places in the meadows of Pahalgam tourist resort, thereby posing a plausible danger to the fragile ecosystem of the tourist place,” the order said.

To prevent the spread of covid-19 infection and save the eco-system of the tourist destination, DC has directed that on Saturday and Sunday, only such persons/tourists shall be allowed to proceed towards Pahalgam who possess a proof of confirmed booking in the hotels of Pahalgam, no day-picnickers shall be allowed to visit Pahalgam on Saturdays and Sundays.

“A fine of Rs 1000 shall be imposed on locals, tourists and hotel staff found roaming without masks, the order said, adding the order read,” reads the order.



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JK Admin Cancels Residential Accommodation Of ‘Darbar Move’ Employees

SRINAGAR: The government of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday has cancelled the residential accommodation of “Darbar Move” employees in Jammu and Srinagar based on their location.

In an order, a copy of which lies with a local news agency KNO the government asked the employees to vacate their accommodation within three weeks.

“Cancellation of allotment of residential accommodation of officers/officials at Srinagar as indicated at Annexure-A to this order who are stationed at Jammu, and cancellation of allotment of residential accommodation of officers/officials at Jammu as per Annexure-B to this order who are stationed at Srinagar,” reads the order.

The order states that the officers/officials indicated at Annexure-A and B shall vacate their government residential accommodation under his/her occupation within 21 days from the date of issuance of this order.



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Train Service To Resume Partially In Kashmir From Tomorrow

SRINAGAR: After remaining suspended for more than seven week, train services are resuming partially in Kashmir Valley from Thursday, officials said.

Official sources told news agency GNS that two pairs of trains shall operate between Budgam to Banihal in the morning and evening only. There shall be no services towards Baramulla, they said.

“In the morning one pair (04617/04618) and in the evening session one pair (04619/04622) will run between Budgam –Banihal only as per their existing time table,” they said.

On May 10, the authorities had suspended the services in view of the covid-19 situation in Kashmir Valley and as per the guidelines and SOPs issued by the government till May 16. Later it was extended from time to time till June 30.



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Lt Governor Calls For Robust Public Distribution System In JK

SRINAGAR: Working in line with the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s commitment to the poor, the J&K Government is taking huge strides in ensuring food security for the residents of the UT through timely availability, efficient Supply Chain Management and streamlining distribution of food grains, besides moving towards 100% Aadhaar seeding of the beneficiaries under various schemes.

Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha made these remarks during the meeting he chaired to review the Public Distribution System in the Union Territory of J&K, here at Civil Secretariat.

During the meeting, the Lt Governor took stock of the performance and future targets for the Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA) department under Public Distribution System.

It was observed that the J&K government is reaching out to One Crore people with ration through a network of 6738 ration shops covering  25.73 Lakh ration card holders including both NFSA & Non-NFSA beneficiaries. Moreover, the department operates the distribution process through an online public distribution system.

Emphasizing on streamlining the distribution chain, besides rationalizing the availability of quality food grains at subsidized and affordable prices, the Lt Governor directed the concerned officials to bring reforms at the policy planning level to make the system more robust.

Make all schemes available online, besides fully automating the distribution process, authentication of beneficiaries and putting special focus on public grievance to facilitate the people, the Lt Governor directed the officials.

He further passed directions pertaining to timely winter dumping and providing them to the beneficiaries in advance.

Laying stress on the need to be proactive towards the issues of public in the wake of Covid pandemic, the Lt Governor directed the department to ensure seamless distribution of additional free-of-cost food grains under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) to alleviate the hardships faced by the poor and needy.

Earlier, Commissioner/Secretary, Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Sh. Zubair Ahmad informed the meeting that more than 95% of Aadhaar seeding of Ration Cards for NFSA beneficiaries has already been achieved. Besides, the ration distribution is being done exclusively through PoS machines.

He briefed the chair about the overall operationalization of PDS in the UT; to date Coverage of ration cards across J&K; ePOS Status; progress achieved under One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC), besides status of  Subsidized Sugar to AAY families; Use of web-based portals; Status of end-to-end computerization and Constitution of Consumer Disputes Redressal Forums.

More than One Lakh MT allocation made under various schemes like NFSA, PMGKAY, Non-NFSA, and JKFES during the month of May this year, it was informed.

The Lt Governor observed that ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’, part of the Prime Minister’s Technology Driven System Reforms under the AatmaNirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, has empowered the poor and the needy. It is one of the game changer initiatives giving flexibility and seamless access to PDS and delivery of food-security entitlements to all beneficiaries, anywhere in the country. “A perfect example of integrating technology with the government process and putting it to optimum use for benefit of poor”, he added.

The Lt Governor also stressed on ensuring seamless availability of food grains to the consumers, while identifying priority assessments including moving maximum ePOS machines to online mode, introduction of Nomination Policy to cover deprived claimants, coverage of vulnerable groups, streamlining distribution of Kerosene oil, tracking of Supply Chain Management, formulation of NFSA Rules, Aadhaar seeding of Non-NFSA etc.

Increase enforcement activities of Legal Metrology Department, besides keeping a strict vigil on black-marketing and illegal profiteering, he added.

Farooq Khan, Advisor to Lt Governor; Dr Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary; Nitishwar Kumar, Principal Secretary to the Lt Governor; Abdul Salam Mir, Director   Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Kashmir, and other senior officers attended the meeting.



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Two Army Men Injured In Kulgam Gunfight

SRINAGAR: Two army men were injured in an ongoing gunfight at Chimmer area of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Wednesday.

Quoting official sources news agency GNS reported that two army men received bullet wounds in an ongoing gunfight. Subsequently, both were removed to 92 Base hospital for treatment, where their condition is said to be stable.

Earlier during the firefight three militants were also killed, he added.

Reports said that a joint team of Police, army, and CRPF launched a cordon and search operation in Chimmer.

As the joint team of forces approached the suspected spot, the hiding militants fired upon the forces, triggering off a gunfight.



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One More Militant Killed In Kulgam Gunfight, Toll 3

SRINAGAR: One more militant was killed in an encounter with the counter-insurgent forces on Wednesday in Chimmer village in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district taking the death toll of militants to three, an official said.

He said that one more militant was killed in the gunfight in Chimmer area of Kulgam.

He added that the identity of slain militants were being ascertained.

Earlier, police had said that two militants were killed in the encounter.



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Covid-19: 7 Deaths, 364 New Infections, 562 Recoveries In 24 Hours

SRINAGAR: With every passing day, the Covid-19 situation is getting better. In the last 24 hours, 7 deaths were reported as the new infections fell to 364 across the 20 districts across Jammu and Kashmir.

Kashmir lost four citizens and Jammu three in the last 24 hours.

The trend of infected people outnumbering the fully recovered people continues. In the last 24 hours, as many as 562 people recovered thus reducing the number of active cases to 4600. The recoveries included 186 cases in Jammu and 376 in Kashmir.

Now the death toll of Covid19 in Jammu and Kashmir is 4323 people including 2218 in Kashmir and 2105 in Jammu.



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High Court To Resume Physical Hearings From July 5

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir High Court have ordered the physical resumption of hearings in all courts in Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh from July 5, 2021, after three months of the virtual hearing.

However, the entry of litigants and public into the Court premises from the very outer gate shall continue to be prohibited, reads an order by Registrar General.



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11 Years Later, Kashmiri Man Acquitted By Court Reaches Home

SRINAGAR: A Gujurat Court acquitted a Kashmiri youth after 11 years of his detention. Bashir Ahmed Baba, from Rainawari area of Kashmir capital Srinagar, who was arrested in Gujarat for allegedly being a member of Hizbul Mujahideen, was acquitted today after more than 11 years.

A lady shower toffees on Bashir Ahmed Baba a resident of the Rainawari area who was acquitted by the court and reaches home after more than 11 years.

Quoting his brother Nazir Ahmed ndews agency KNT reported that Bashir Ahmed has reached home and they are jubilant. He said the Sessions Court in Gujarat cleared Bashir Ahmed Baba of the charges under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and ordered his release. Pronouncing his innocence and acquittal, the prosecution “relied on emotional argument and a person cannot be held guilty merely on its fear of anarchy.”

The Additional Sessions Judge S A Nakum rejected the Anti-Terrorism Squad’s case that Baba was associated with Militants. “No evidence was found that he was in touch with militant elements through electronic gadgets,” the Judge said.

Bashir’s family had staged dozens of protests when he was picked up by Gujurat Anti-Terrorist Squad vouching for his innocence. The family said that even Jammu and Kashmir Police had informed Gujurat Police about the innocence of Bashir and yet he was not released. “He faced a lot of hardships and mental torture at Gujurat Jail. Thankfully, the bad days are over,” Nazir Ahmed who works as a Salesman at a shop said.

He said his brother was arrested on mere suspicion. “He spent 11 dark years in jail just because he was a suspect. “He was working as a camp coordinator with Kimaya Cleft Centre associated with the NGO Maya Foundation. He was sent by the NGO for 15 days of training related to his work to one of its centers in Gujarat for which he left home on February 17, 2010. In March next month he was arrested.”

Bashir had completed his  Masters in Urdu from Indira Gandhi National Open University in 2009 and then qualified for a 15-day training program in Gujrat Ahmedabad in March 2010 by Maya Foundation- a German NGO running a project for surgical treatment of cleft lip in children in rural areas.

He was booked under an FIR under section 120 (B) of IPC, and sections 16, 17, 18, 20 of the Unlawful Activity (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in 2010.



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Lt Governor Rolls Out SASCM Social Protection Scheme For Families Affected By COVID-19

SRINAGAR: Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha on Wednesday rolled out ‘Special Assistance Scheme for COVID Mortalities – SASCM’ (सक्षम), by handing over the grant of Scholarship and Pension certificates to the children and the members of the families affected due to COVID-19.

Lt Governor rolls out SASCM social protection scheme for families affected by COVID-19

Jammu and Kashmir government is committed to support children who lost their parents in this pandemic. The administration as guardian will take all necessary steps for their well-being and education, so they can have a bright future, remarked the Lt Governor.

We stand in solidarity with the families who lost the earning member due to the pandemic. Besides pension, every effort will be made to ensure they live a dignified life and have no financial difficulties, said the Lt Governor

It is our duty and utmost responsibility to support families, restore livelihoods and ensure stability in their life, he added.

For extending handholding to the affected families, a special cell has been constituted in Social Welfare Department to track and facilitate benefits under existing government sponsored welfare schemes which the family may be eligible for, said the Lt Governor.

The Lt Governor remarked that the administration will reach out to every affected family with financial assistance if they are willing to start their own business or other venture for self-employment, besides imparting training and providing market linkages to them.

All Deputy Commissioners and officials of Social Welfare department were directed to identify the families who have lost their loved ones due to Covid, so that social protection and other necessary support can be extended to them.

In order to provide round the clock support, the Lt Governor directed the District Social Welfare Officers to pay regular visits to such families in their respective areas.

Work with high sensitivity and double your efforts in reaching out to every affected family ensuring that no one is left behind, the Lt Governor told the officials.

Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has also initiated a separate scheme named “PM CARES for Children” for the help and empowerment of the children affected by Corona, which will benefit the families of our UT. All the concerned officials should make sure that PM CARES benefits are extended to all the affected families, he added.

The Lt Governor also appreciated the efforts of the Social Welfare Department to identify as many as 512 beneficiaries for scholarship and pensionary support and further called for 100% coverage under the scheme at the earliest.

Simultaneously, the beneficiaries under the scheme received the Scholarship and Pension grants in various locations across the UT.

Pertinently, under the ‘SASCM’ scheme, cash assistance of Rs 1000 per month shall be provided to spouse and the eldest member of the family. Apart from this, the scheme provides for scholarship of Rs 20,000 per annum for school going students and Rs 40,000 per annum for college going students. A family in distress shall be eligible for scholarship for two children, if they are not getting any other scholarship. Besides, the benefits of all the other social welfare schemes, including pensions, etc will be extended to the families.

Farooq Khan, Advisor to Lt Governor; Dr Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary; Nitishwar Kumar, Principal Secretary to the Lt Governor; Pandurang K Pole, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir; Sheetal Nanda, Secretary, Social Welfare Department; Deputy Commissioners from all districts were present on the occasion, in person and through virtual mode.



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J&K Delimitation Commission To Meet Stakeholders From July 6 To 9

SRINAGAR: The Delimitation Commission is set to visit Jammu and Kashmir from 6 July to 9 to interact with all stakeholders, including political parties, government officials, and public representatives.

A notice issued to the press by the Delimitation Commission stated,

“Today, Delimitation Commission under the Chairpersonship of Justice (Retd.) Mrs. Ranjana Prakash Desai, in the presence of Shri Sushil Chandra, Chief Election Commissioner has decided to visit the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir from 6 July, 2021 (Tuesday) to 9th July, 2021 (Friday). During this period, the Commission will interact with political parties, public representatives and Union Territory administration officials including District Election Officers/ Deputy Commissioners of 20 districts of the Union Territory to gather first hand information and input concerning the on-going process of delimitation as mandated under the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019.”



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Two Militants Killed In Kulgam Gunfight

SRINAGAR: Two militants were killed in an encounter with counter-insurgent forces at Chimmer village of in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Wednesday.

An official said that two militants were killed so far in the ongoing encounter at Chimmer area of Kulgam.

The identity and the affiliations of the slain militants could not be ascertained immediately.

Earlier, a police spokesman said a gunfight broke out between militants and forces at Chimmer area of Kukgam.



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Gunfight Breaks Out In South Kashmir

SRINAGAR: A gunfight broke out between militants and counterinsurgent forces in Chimmer village in south Kashmir’s  Kulgam district on Wednesday.

Reports said that a joint team of Army, CRPF and Jammu, and Kashmir police launched a cordon and search operation in Chimmer area of Kulgam after having credible inputs about the presence of militants in the area.

As the joint team of forces approached the suspected spot, the hiding militants fired upon forces triggering an encounter.

When the last reports came intermittent firing was going on.



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Youth Allegedly Hangs Self To Death

SRINAGAR: A 24-year-old youth was found hanging inside his room in Vagila village of Wagoora in North Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Wednesday morning.

Quoting an official the news agency KNO reported the youth was found dead in inside his home in the morning today.

He said that the family informed that when they went inside the room he was found hanging.

The official said that a police team has reached at the spot and investigation has been taken up.

He said that a case under relevant sections of law has beeb registered at Police station Kreeri.

The official said that the body was in the possession of the police for post-mortem, which will determine the cause of death and to complete other legal formalities in the case.



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Tuesday, 29 June 2021

Two Drones Again Spotted Over Army Area In Jammu

SRINAGAR: Two drones were spotted over the military installations on Wednesday in Jammu city which were fired upon by alert troops forcing them to withdraw.

Quoting police sources news agency IANS reported that two drones were spotted around 6 a.m. over the army installations in Miran Sahib and Kunjwani areas of Jammu city.

“Alert troops fired at these drones after which they withdrew,” sources said.

On Tuesday, drones were spotted over military camps in the Kaluchak and Ratnuchak areas which were also fired upon.

The Union home ministry has issued orders to formally hand over the investigation of the drone attacks at Air Force Station in Jammu to the NIA.

Meanwhile, an army man was injured in a firing exchange between hiding militants and the army personnel in Dadal village of Sunderbani tehsil of Rajouri district.

A search operation was launched in the area after a small group of suspicious, armed persons were seen in the village few kilometres away from the Line of Control (LoC).

“The injured army man has been shifted for treatment to hospital. The operation is going on in the area,” sources said.



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India Reports 45,951 New COVID-19 Cases, 817 Deaths In Last 24 Hours

SRINAGAR: India reported 45,951 new Covid-19 cases and 817 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to data released by the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry on Wednesday. This is lowest deaths due to Covid since April 10.

On April 10, India recorded 839 fatalities due to the coronavirus. It is also for the third time in over two and half months that the Covid-19 toll has come below the 1,000-mark and the 12th consecutive day in the last two months when the toll has been below the 2,000-mark.

The total caseload rose to 3,03,62,848 after India crossed the three crore mark exactly a week back.

India is the second country after the US to record more than three crore cases, adding one crore cases in the last 50 days.

It is also the 23rd consecutive day when India reported less than one lakh new coronavirus cases. On June 29, India recorded 37,566 cases, lowest since March 18 while on June 22 India reported 42,640 cases.

The active cases have now come down below 6 lakh. The country has 5,37,064 active cases presently and has witnessed 3,98,454 deaths so far.

According to the Union Health Ministry, a total of 60,729 people have been discharged in the last 24 hours, taking the total discharge to 2,94,27,330 till date.

The Health Ministry said that a total of 33,28,54,527 people have been vaccinated so far in the country, including 36,41,983 who were administered vaccines in the last 24 hours.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research, 41,01,00,044 samples have been tested up to June 29 for Covid-19. Of these 19,60,757 samples were tested on Tuesday.-IANS



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Army Man Injured In Exchange Of Fire During CASO

SRINAGAR: An army man was in an exchange of fire during a cordon and Search Operation in Sunderbani sector of Rajouri district late last night, Army said here.

Quoting army statement the news agency KNO reported that based on information regarding presence of a small group of suspicious armed persons near village Dadal, few kilometres from the Line of Control, search operations were launched last evening.

“During the night exchange of fire, one soldier received minor injuries and has been evacuated,” Army said, adding that operations were in progress.

Notably, a cordon and search operation was launched in Dadal area of Sunderbani last evening after some suspected movement was noticed by the Army.



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Infant Among 4 Persons Killed, 4 Others Injured As Load Carrier Falls Into Gorge

SRINAGAR: Four persons, including an infant, were killed while as many others were injured when a vehicle carrying labourers from Chhattisgarh skidded off the road and rolled down into a deep gorge near Khooni nallah in Ramban on Jammu-Srinagar highway on wee hours of Wednesday, officials said.

Vehicle damaged in road accident near Khooni nalllah in Ramban

They said a Tata Mobile (JK02AP-4588) was on way from Jammu towards Srinagar when the driver lost control over it and the load carrier rolled down into the deep gorge.

Three persons died on the spot and their bodies were recovered by the team of Quick Action Team and SDRF besides locals who rushed to the spot immediately after the accident.

Five injured persons including 8-month-old boy identified as Aryan son of Deepak Sahu were evacuated and shifted to hospital. However, the infant succumbed to the injuries on the way to government district hospital Ramban, they said.

The three other persons who lost their lives have been identified as Narayan Manji (21) son of Ramesh Manji, Dinesh Kumar (17) son of Baghi Rath and Maghe Lal (17) son of Amar Singh, all residents of Chhattisgarh.

Quoting SHO Ramsoo Rahouaf Khan news agency GNS reported that while three persons died on the spot, the baby succumbed before being admitted to the hospital.

He said four others injured in the accident have been hospitalized. A case has been registered and investigations started, he added.



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Girl Allegedly Commits Suicide In South Kashmir

SRINAGAR: A 25-year-old girl allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself at her home in Qazigund area of south Kashmir Kulgam district on Tuesday evening.

Quoting a police official the news agency KNO reported that a girl (name withheld) from Bumthan locality of Qazigund allegedly hanged herself at her home following which her family members took her to a nearby hospital.

However, the doctors who attended her, declared the girl dead on arrival.

Meanwhile, police have registered a case and started investigation into the matter, official said.



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Srinagar Gunfight: Slain Militants Were Planning Big Attacks On Highway, Says Police

SRINAGAR: Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Vijay Kumar Tuesday said that a top Lashkar-e-Toiba commander and a foreign militant were killed in an overnight gunfight at Maloora area of Parimpora on Srinagar outskirts.

A view of a damaged residential house after it was gutted during a gun battle between militants and counterinsurgent forces in Maloora area of Srinagar on Tuesday, June 29, 2021. KL Image by Bilal Bahadur

He said the Lashkar commander Abrar Nadeem was first arrested at Parimpora by the joint forces teams’ yesterday afternoon. “He was taken to a police station where joint teams of police, army and CRPF interrogated him. Abrar disclosed that he had kept his weapon AK-47 at Maloora area after which joint teams cordoned the area and launched the searches in a house,” the IGP Kumar said addressing a press conference at Police Control Room (PCR) Srinagar.

Vijay Kumar, IG Police, Kashmir range addressing a joint press conference in Srinagar on Tuesday, June 29, 2021. KL Image by Bilal Bahadur

He said that forces had taken Abrar along and when the house was being searched, a foreign militant was hiding inside, who fired at the forces, in which Abrar sustained injuries besides the CRPF men including an officer.

“Abrar had not disclosed about foreign militant hiding in the house,” the IGP said, adding that in the night-long gunfight, Abrar and the foreign militant were killed. “Two AK-47-rifles were recovered from the encounter site,” he said. “The two were set to carry out a big strike on the national highway near Parimpora, Narbal or Lawaypora stretch.”

The IGP said that Abrar was wanted in the Lawaypora shoot-out case where he along with another militant Khursheed Mir had killed three CRPF men in March this year. “Khursheed Mir was killed in the recent Sopore gunfight and the rifle he had snatched from the slain CRPF man was also recovered from him. TRF outfit had recently released a video in which Khursheed was shown snatching the weapon and firing at the CRPF men and Lawaypora,” the IGP Kashmir said as per news agency KNO.

He said the killing of Abrar and another foreign militant is a big success for the forces. “While arresting Abrar, joint teams had recovered a pistol and a grenade,” IGP Kumar said.

Asked whether Lashkar has its active men in Srinagar, the IGP said that after “radicalization and indoctrination”, six youth from Srinagar joined militancy of which one was killed recently.

People inspect a damaged house after a gun battle ended at Maloora area of Srinagar on Tuesday June 29, 2021. KL Image by Bilal Bahadur

“Five others are active and will be killed or arrested soon,” he said, adding that there is a “network of sleeper cells” also active in Srinagar and efforts are on to break that nexus soon.”



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Peoples Conference Likely To Withdraw Support To Safina Baig

SRINAGAR: After distancing itself from Muzaffar Hussain Baig, Peoples Conference is likely to withdraw support to his wife Safina Baig, who is chairperson of the district development council, Baramulla.

Quoting sources news agency KNO reported that PC leadership has begun efforts to oust Safina as chairperson of DDC, Baramulla.

“We will hold confabulations with our DDC members to discuss future strategy. Our leaders Sajad Gani Lone, Imran Reza Ansari, Syed Basharat Bukhari, Abdul Gani Vakil, Raja Ejaz Ali and Muhammad Abbas would take a final call on the matter,” a senior party leader said.

He said the party’s district leaders have conveyed to the top leadership that continuing support to Safina would be a political blunder.

Safina, who fought DDC election as an independent candidate, managed to become chairperson of DDC Baramulla with support of Peoples Conference, Apni Party and cross-voting by members of Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) in her favour.

In the 14-member Council, PC has three members, National Conference, Apni Party, Congress and Peoples Democratic Party have two members each and three are independents.



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Speed Up Mega Infrastructure Projects: LG Sinha

SRINAGAR: In a High-Level meeting to review Prime Minister’s Development Package (PMDP) projects, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha pushed for quick resolution of issues, if any, to speed up the progress of mega infrastructure projects in the Union Territory.

Lt Governor Manoj Sinha chairing a high-level meeting to review PMDP projects

The meeting witnessed various important directions passed by the Lt Governor to the Administrative Secretaries and functionaries of the executing agencies for bringing in reforms by adopting an action-oriented approach for the timely completion of the projects.

While taking a project-wise thorough assessment, the Lt Governor sought the present status of the projects from the concerned Administrative Secretaries, Chief Engineers, and other senior officers of the executing agencies, who in turn briefed the chair about the progress achieved till date and the future course of action.

We need to speed up the projects for the overall development of UT. There is no constraint of funds & resources and the government is committed to bridge the gap between rural and urban J&K. Complete projects on Mission Mode, especially those which are under execution for a long time while maintaining the quality of work, Lt Governor directed the officers.

Adhere to the timelines committed during the review meeting. Accelerate the pace of work, reduce unnecessarily extended timelines and mobilize resources to ensure that the public does not face inconvenience due to delays, he added.

The Lt Governor passed specific directions to prepone the timelines of some of the major projects so that the same can be completed at the earliest.

Prestigious projects under PMDP are imperative for the holistic development of J&K. The departments must coordinate with each other to remove the bottlenecks, if any, for their effective execution, maintained the Lt Governor.

The Lt Governor also reviewed the implementation of the directions passed during previous meetings and the execution of work in view of the commitments made thereof.

Taking note of the issues presented by the officers in the execution of some projects, the Lt Governor asked for preparing a list of those issues which are needed to be flagged with the Government of India, besides submitting a separate set of issues to be taken up by the J&K Government.

While taking stock of the road projects under the Package, the Lt Governor laid special emphasis on putting a dedicated focus on strengthening the road connectivity which is vital for the economic development of any region. Important road links like Ramban-Banihal road stretch needs special attention by the concerned agencies, he added.

He further called for prioritizing the work as per the infrastructural requirements, particularly in health and educational projects.

Stressing upon the optimum utilization of the developed infrastructure, the Lt Governor passed strict directions to the officers to ensure that the inaugurated infrastructural projects are being put to use to facilitate the people.

Sushma Chauhan, Administrative Secretary, Planning, Development and Monitoring Department gave a detailed overview of the status of projects under PMDP.

Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, Advisor to Lt Governor; Dr Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary; Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary, Health & Medical Education Department; Shaleen Kabra, Principal Secretary to Government, Home Department; Bipul Pathak, Principal Secretary to Government, Department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj; Dheeraj Gupta, Principal Secretary to Government, H&UDD; Naveen Kumar Choudhary, Principal Secretary, Department of Agriculture Production & Farmers’ Welfare; Rohit Kansal, Principal Secretary, PDD; Shailendra Kumar, Principal Secretary to Government, Public Works (R&B) Department; Nitishwar Kumar, Principal Secretary to the  Lt Governor; Alok Kumar, Principal Secretary, Youth Services & Sports; Sarita Chauhan, Commissioner/Secretary to Government, Labour & Employment Department; M Raju, Commissioner Secretary to Government, Jal Shakti Department;  Simrandeep Singh, Secretary to Government, Department of DMRR&R; Sarmad Hafeez, Administrative Secretary, Tourism Department, besides Chief Engineers of various Departments and Agencies attended the meeting, in person and through virtual mode at Civil Secretariat.



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Jammu Attack: Govt Hands Over Probe To NIA

SRINAGAR: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Thursday formally handed over the investigation into the first of its kind drone attack on the Indian Air Force (IAF) station in Jammu on Sunday to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

A press release from the National Investigation Agency said investigators have registered a case of attempted murder and conspiracy (sections 307 and 120B) of the Indian Penal Code; unlawful activities and conspiracy (Sections 13, 16, 18 and 23)  of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act; and causing explosions (sections 3 and 4) of the Explosive Substances Act 1908.

“The case relates to an explosion that occurred inside the premises of the Air Force Station, Satwari campus, Jammu on 27.06.2021 and a subsequent blast, after about 6 minutes carried out by drones in a well-planned conspiracy that led to the injury to two Air Force personnel and damaged the office buildings,” the statement said.

“While NIA has been working with other agencies since immediately after the incident, pursuant to reregistration of the case, requisite actions as per law, for expeditious investigation of case have been initiated.”

Before the decision taken by the MHA, multiple agencies, including the NIA, National Security Guards (NSG) along with the local police and Air Force authorities were looking into the case.

“In investigations at the attack site, the investigators have not yet been able to find parts of any drone. This suggests that the drones used to carry out the attack dropped the explosives over the airbase and were navigated away from the area by their handlers,” newspaper The Tribune quoted sources as having said.

NIA had sent its team from Srinagar office to the Jammu Air Force station early Sunday morning to collect some primary evidence from the blast site. Later, evidence was sent to Delhi for forensic tests, the report quoted officials in the NIA as having said.

Meanwhile, according to report sources said, investigators have also retrieved two unexploded IEDs from the blast site, which could hold clues for further investigation, as they have added to the mystery to the attack leading to suspicion that the two suspected drones had a significant payload carrying capacity.

“The aerial attack is a first of its kind in the country. But this is the 45th drone strike carried out across the globe so far this year. While drone strikes are carried out by state agencies, aerial hits by groups through such machines are dubbed ‘attacks’ and the agencies are seeking to discriminate between the two through the ongoing investigation,” newspaper The Tribune quoted a senior official in the investigative agency as having said.

The explosions took place around 1.40 am within six minutes of each other. The first blast ripped off the roof of a single-story building at the technical area of the airport manned by the IAF in Satwari area on the outskirts of the city. The second one was on the ground.

The explosive material dropped by the drones might have been manufactured using a cocktail consisting of RDX, but a final confirmation was still awaited, reported The Tribune.



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Covid-19: 6 Deaths, 308 Infections, 493 Recoveries In 24 Hours

SRINAGAR: The Government on Tuesday informed that 308 new positive cases of novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), 99 from Jammu division and 209 from Kashmir division, have been reported today, thus taking the total number of positive cases in Jammu and Kashmir to 315298. Also 06 COVID-19 deaths have been reported; 02 from Jammu Division and 04 from Kashmir Division.

Moreover, 493 more COVID-19 patients have been recovered and discharged from various hospitals including 149 from Jammu Division and 344 from Kashmir Division.

Besides this, 84.46 percent of the population above the age of 45 years has been vaccinated across Jammu and Kashmir.

The Bulletin also informs that no new confirmed case of Mucormycosis has been reported today, thus the total number of confirmed cases remains 29 in the UT of J&K.

According to the daily Media Bulletin on novel Corona virus (Covid-19), out of 315298 positive cases, 4805 are Active Positive, 306177 have recovered and 4316 have died; 2102 in Jammu division and 2214 in Kashmir division.

The Bulletin further said that out of 9907016 test results available, 9591718 samples have been tested as negative till today.

Till date 2414634 persons have been enlisted for observation which included 17691 persons in home quarantine including facilities operated by government, 4805 in isolation and 218412 in home surveillance. Besides, 2169410 persons have completed their surveillance period.

Providing district-wise breakup, the Bulletin said that Srinagar has 69916 positive cases (including 84 cases reported today) with 908 Active Positive, 68181 recovered (including 124 cases recovered today), 827 deaths; Baramulla has 23212 positive cases (including 29 cases reported today) with 272 Active Positive, 22662 recovered (including 16 cases recovered today), 278 deaths; Budgam reported 22525 positive cases (including 18 cases reported today) with 276 active positive cases, 22045 recovered (including 44 cases recovered today), 204 deaths; Pulwama has 14854 positive cases (including 05 cases reported today) with 221 Active Positive, 14442 recovered (including 10 cases recovered today) and 191 deaths; Kupwara has 13786 positive cases (including 21 cases reported today), 304 Active Positive, 13317 recoveries (including 46 cases recovered today), 165 deaths;  Anantnag district has 16034 positive cases (including 16 cases reported today) with 284 Active Positive, 15550 recovered (including 47 cases recovered today), 200 deaths;  Bandipora has 9292 positive cases (including 13 cases reported today), with 161 Active Positive, 9031 recoveries (including 24 cases recovered today), 100 deaths; Ganderbal has 9579 positive cases (including 12 cases reported today) with 193 Active Positive, 9310 recoveries (including 11 cases recovered today) and 76 deaths; Kulgam has 11025 positive cases (including 09 cases reported today) with 201 Active Positive, 10709 recoveries (including 18 cases recovered today) and 115 deaths while as Shopian has 5551 positive cases (including 02 cases reported today), 17 active positive cases, 5476 recoveries (including 04 cases recovered today) and 58 deaths.

Similarly, Jammu has 52373 positive cases (including 12 cases reported today) with 616 active positive cases, 50624 recoveries (including 22 cases recovered today), 1133 deaths; Udhampur has 11165 positive cases (including 16 cases reported today), 92 active positive cases, 10942 recoveries (including 17 cases recovered today) and 131 deaths; Rajouri has 10694 positive cases (including 08 cases reported today) with 166 active positive, 10309 recoveries (including 23 cases recovered today) and 219 deaths; Doda has 6799 positive cases (including 22 cases reported today) with 256 Active positive, 6430 recovered (including 38 cases recovered today) and 113 deaths; Kathua has 9202 positive cases with 42 active positive cases, 9011 recovered (including 06 cases recovered today) and 149 deaths; Samba has 7059 positive cases (including 01 case reported today) with 25 active positive cases, 6916 recoveries (including 10 cases recovered today) and 118 deaths; Kishtwar has 4455 positive cases (including 20 cases reported today) with 132 Active Positive, 4281 recoveries (including 12 cases recovered today)  and 42 deaths;  Poonch has 6084 positive cases (including 10 cases reported today) with 237 active positive, 5756 recoveries (including 06 cases recovered today)  and 91 deaths;  Ramban has 5828 positive cases (including 09 cases reported today) with 105 active positive cases, 5660 recoveries (including 06 cases recovered today) and 63 deaths while Reasi has 5865 positive cases (including 01 case reported today) with 297 active positive cases, 5525 recoveries (including 09 cases recovered today) and 43 deaths.

According to the bulletin, among the total 315298 positive cases in J&K, 22316 have been reported as travelers while 292982 as others.

The Bulletin said that the breakup represents districts from which the patients have been traced or are ordinarily residing.

The bulletin added that there are 2485 COVID dedicated beds, 2081 Isolation beds with 1998 vacant beds and 404 ICU beds where 378 beds are vacant in Jammu division while there are 3353 COVID dedicated beds, 3074 Isolation beds where 2815 beds are vacant and 279 ICU beds where 220 are vacant beds in Kashmir division. There are a total of 5838 COVID dedicated beds, 5155 Isolation beds with 4813 beds vacant and 683 ICU beds with 598 vacant beds in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.



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Violence Snatches Away Families From Us, Says Mehbooba At Slain SPO’s Home

SRINAGAR: People’s Democratic Party (PDP) President and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday visited victims of attack in Hariparigam village of Awantipora to express sympathies with the family of slain SPO Fayaz Ahmed in which his wife and daughter were also brutally killed.

In a statement issued here the PDP President said such dastardly attacks further vitiate the political atmosphere and thus should be unequivocally condemned by one and all.

“Violence continues to snatch away families from us, leaving behind pain and wounds which are irreparable,” she said.

On the occasion Mehbooba Mufti urged authorities, as requested by the family, to absorb the services of Liaqat Ahmed Bhat, son of slain SPO Fayaz Ahmed in the civilian administration.

Extending heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families, Mehbooba prayed for eternal peace to the departed souls and courage to the family to bear the irretrievable loss.

Mehbooba Mufti was accompanied by Party District President  Pulwama and DDC Chairman Bari Andrabi, DDC members Dr Harbaksh Singh and Manzoor Ahmed and other senior workers of the party, said the statement.



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Banihal Village Goes Up In Flames

SRINAGAR: Authorities had to use the film foam in a remote Banihal village to control a ferociously escalating conflagration, reports reaching here said. Most of the village was saved though part of it is still smouldering.

A house on fire in Hijwa, Banihal on June 29, 2021.

Reports said that a fierce fire erupted from a two-storyed house in Hijwa village in Banihal. Perched on a mountain, it is almost 28 km from the main town and inaccessible by road for the last many kilometres.

The fire escalated quickly and so far it destroyed almost 12 homes leaving 32 families without shelters.

Hijwa is home to around 80 houses but the particle cluster has around 24 houses, of whom half were saved. Though hundreds of people from neighbouring villages along with the army and the police reached the spot, the distance in the water source was key to the damage. Though the authorities later employed some water pumps by then the damage was done, residents said.

As the water availability was difficult, the army used some chemicals on the cluster of houses that helped prevent the escalation of the fire.

Deputy Commissioner Ramban, Masrat ul Islam visited the belt and said the IAF choppers will sprinkle some chemicals that will prevent them from catching fire. People are waiting for the choppers to fly the chemical, reports added.

The village being off the road, most of the houses are old fashioned, having a lot of timber. This makes them vulnerable to fire. The high altitude adds the speedy wind factor too.



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JK Among Top 10 States, UTs In Terms Of Food Security And Nutrition

SRINAGAR: The Directorate of Economics and Statistics today celebrated Statistics Day in Jammu and Kashmir as part of all India programme to commemorate the contribution of Late Professor Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis towards Indian Statistical System.

Regional Director, Evaluation and Statistics, Jammu and Kashmir, Principal, Statistical Training School, Jammu and Srinagar, Chief Planning Officers and District Statistics and Evaluation Officers participated virtually in the event.

The theme for this year’s Statistics Day is Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)-2 (End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture) which highlights the interdependence between food security, nutrition, land use transformation, productivity and sustainable agriculture. The aim of this goal is to ensure that everyone has access to adequate and good-quality food to lead a healthy life.

Pertinently, Jammu & Kashmir is among top 10 states and UTs in terms of food security and nutrition and efforts are being made to further improve outreach of the programmes initiated by the government in this regard.

During the programme, presentations on theme of the Day were given by the known personalities in the field of Statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation and National Statistical Institute.

Later, the winners of Professor P.C. Mahalanobis National Award in Official Statistics, 2021, Prof. P.C. Mahalanobis National Award for Young Statistician, 2021 and Spot Essay writing Competition, 2021were felicitated.

Pertinently, the “Statistics Day” is being celebrated every year with an aim to inspire statisticians, especially young researchers and planners, working in various fields of economic planning to accept new emerging challenges in the collection of quality data and develop new approaches for its holistic appreciation aimed at helping the planners to frame policies for development activities.



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Govt Deputes Six KAS Officers As Camp Directors For Amarnath Yatra-2021

SRINAGAR: After canceling the Amarnath Yatra 2021, the Jammu and Kashmir government has now deputed six KAS officers as Camp Directors/Additional Camp Directors en-route the track leading up to the cave.

As per an order issued by General Administration Department,  Ranjeet Sing (Deputy Excise Commissioner Distilleries Jammu); Gurmukh Singh (Joint Commissioner Transport); Vir Kishan Dhar (Secretary, Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission); Dhanantar Singh (Regional Transport Officer Jammu); Atul Kumar (Secretary Jammu Municipal Corporation); and Naresh Kumar (Currently in GAD) have all been deputed to the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board from July 1, 2021.

The order states that the officers “shall revert back to the respective place of posting, immediately after the conclusion of Yatra-2021”.

The yatra was canceled for the second consecutive time this year following the Cpovid-19 pandemic’s second wave.

The Amarnath Shrine board informed that “all the traditional religious rituals to be performed at the Holy Cave Shrine as per past practice”.

The 56-day yatra was supposed to start from the twin routes of Pahalgam and Baltal on June 28 and culminate on August 22. A few days back, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha had paid obeisance at the cave.



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Muzzafar Baig Not A Party Member: Peoples Conference

SRINAGAR: Peoples Conference Tuesday disassociated itself from former deputy chief minister Muzafar Hussain Baig stating that he isn’t a member of the party.

The statement comes in the backdrop of Baig declaring in the recent all-party meet that he isn’t representing any party.

Baig had also told the government of India at the meeting that if anyone including them talks on Article 370 they would be held in contempt of court. However, Baig and PC Chairman Sajad Lone had come out of the meeting in the same car.

Peoples Conference General Secretary Imran Ansari said that Baig never joined the party while they had just supported Baig’s wife, Safina Baig to become the District Development Council Chairperson in Baramulla.

However, Baig had formally joined the party when Sajad Lone had called upon him.  The party’s official Twitter handle had congratulated Baig on returning back the party from where he had started his political career.

The party had said that it was a nostalgic moment for them as well. Subsequently, Safina Baig, who had won as an independent from Wagoora DDC segment was decalred DDC chairperson candidate by PC from Barmulla district where the party has three members.

 



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Peoples Conference Disowns Senior Leader Muzaffar Baig

SRINAGAR: The Peoples Conference general secretary Imran Reza Ansari on Tuesday said that senior leader and former deputy chief minister, Muzaffar Baig never joined the Peoples Conference and was not a member of the party.

Quoting Ansari news agency KNS reported that Baig is not a member of the party, there may be some confusion but no he never joined the party.

He said that though Sajad Lone visited Baig residence, but he went only after being sure and being convinced that Baig sahib wanted him to visit his residence and was looking forward to welcome him. “Politics was discussed there and he was very thankful to PC for getting Safina Ji elected as DDC chairperson,” Ansari said.

He said that PC helped Safina ji to become the DDC Chairperson. “We were the single largest party in Baramulla with 3 members while no other party had more than 2 members. Even though we had aspirations within our camp for the post of chairmanship, but she came to me and requested me that we support her. We did not support her on any conditions otherwise she was a single member, how could she have become the chairperson. We felt she deserved a chance and was a good candidate,” he said.

On being asked if Baig is not a member of the party, why he accompanied Sajad Lone to participate in All-Party Meeting, because Baig sahib expressed a desire to go to the meeting with Sajad sahib and requested if Sajad sahib can take him along to the meeting.

“But at no point did we have any remotest idea about what he is going to speak inside and neither did he had any idea about what we were going to speak inside.”

He said that Baig sahib himself has made it clear that he doesn’t belong to any party. “We share a personal relationship with them. But we have nothing in common with them politically. Nothing at all,” Ansari said.

Meanwhile, Muzaffar Hussain Baig in debate show on a national news channel also said that he is a leader of any party as he yet not decided to which he belongs or to which party he wants to be in.



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JK Govt To Not Allot Tenders To “Anti-National” People

SRINAGAR: After terminating government employees and withholding salaries of teachers for “anti-national” activities, the Jammu and Kashmir government has now decided to not allot tenders to individuals/firms with “links to anti-nationals”, the Wire reported on Tuesday.

“Taking serious note of the issue of some individuals and firms with dubious antecedents and direct and indirect links with anti-national elements getting government contracts, all administrative secretaries were advised to devise appropriate mechanisms to ensure that no such individual or firm gets any contract/ supply order from the government,” the Wire report quotes the minutes of a meeting held at the Civil Secretariat, Srinagar on May 31.

The high-profile meeting, as per the report, was chaired by J&K’s Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha along with top bureaucrats including chief secretary Arun Kumar Mehta, outgoing chief secretary B.V.R. Subrahmanyam and all administrative secretaries.

“While the government claims that contractors with dubious credentials and links with anti-national elements are getting contracts, no such case has come into the public domain in recent years,” the report reads further.

Under the existing mechanism, an individual has to submit a character certificate issued by the police along with other documents for registration as a contractor in J&K. According to a notification issued by the J&K administration during President’s Rule in 1992, the documents required for registration as a contractor include a character certificate to be issued by an officer not below the rank of superintendent of police of the district concerned after verification from the Criminal Investigation Department,” the report reads.



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DAK Seeks Job Package For Unemployed Dental Surgeons

SRINAGAR: Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) Tuesday expressed concern over poor oral-dental care facilities across hospitals in Jammu and Kashmir and demanded job package for the unemployed dental surgeons.

Doctors Association Kashmir fully supports the indefinite strike by unemployed Dental Surgeons which is going on both at Jammu and Srinagar for more than a week but requested them to follow Covid Appropriate Behaviour while during protests.

President DAK, Dr Mohd Yusuf Tak said keeping in view the increasing number of patients in the specialty of oral health care, lack of human power and infrastructure, it is high time to create new posts for dental surgeons across the union territory. He said poor people are forced to consult quacks for dental ailments as successive authorities failed to upgrade the said specialty in terms of human resources and infrastructure.

“It is unfortunate that Public Service Commission (PSC) has not advertised any post of dental surgeons for last 13 years which has created a huge gap in doctor-patient ratio, unemployment and consequent brain drain,” he said.

DAK said that the number of unemployed dental surgeons in Jammu and Kashmir has reached to more than 4000 and they are facing stress.

Dr Owais H Dar, General secretary DAK said that the lackadaisical approach of successive governments to upgrade dental health care is responsible for Hepatitis B & C cases in J&K saying that people are forced to consult quacks. “The patients have no option in the public sector and they fall in the trap of quacks, where they usually get infected with a life-threatening disease like hepatitis,” he said.

Dr Dar said many of the unemployed dental surgeons have crossed the age limit and many are taking anti-depressants due to lack of job opportunities.

DAK demanded that the health department should take this issue seriously and announce job package for unemployed dental surgeons. New dental surgeon posts need to be created at PHC level, New Type PHC level and existing sub-District Hospitals must have at least 3 Dental Surgeon posts while as District level hospitals need to have at least 7 dental surgeon posts.

It appealed the authorities of the National Health Mission (NHM) to come forward and absorb the unemployed dental surgeons at larger level primarily at block levels and in other oral health programmes.

DAK requested Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha led administration to take cognizance of the matter and take appropriate measures for creation of dental surgeon posts and upgradation dental infrastructure in hospitals.



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Drones A New Technical Threat, All Installations, LoC On High Alert: IGP Kumar

SRINAGAR: Inspector General of Police Kashmir range, Vijay Kumar said that drones are a “new technical threat” and all the forces have jointly reviewed the situation while all the security installations and LoC in the Valley are on a high alert.

Vijay Kumar, IG Police, Kashmir range addressing a joint press conference in Srinagar on Tuesday June 29, 2021. KL Image by Bilal Bahadur

“GoC 15 Corps and I along with officials of other agencies have reviewed the drone threat. It’s a new challenge and a technical threat. We will deal with it technically. Deployment has been made at vital installations and details of that can’t be shared. All the forces installations are on a high alert in Valley,” Kumar told reporters at PCR in reply to a query how he sees the drone movement in Jammu region and recent incident at Jammu Air Force Station. He said a drone movement was spotted in Jammu today after which an FIR has been lodged there. “We are maintaining high alert and ready to face this new challenge,” the IGP said as per news agency KNO.

Pertinently, Jammu region has been already on a high alert after back-to-back drone movements and the payload dropped by the drones at Air Force Station Jammu, one of the strategic defense installations in the region.



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Kupwara Youth’s Body Retrieved From Jhelum In Srinagar After Four Days

SRINAGAR: Body of a teenager from Kupwara, who had jumped into Jhelum near Noorbagh area of Srinagar on June 25 evening, was retrieved from the water body on Tuesday.

The 17-year old youth from Kupwara district had shot a video before jumping into the river.

News agency GNS while quoting a police officer reported that body of Saqib Ahmad Ahanger son of Abdul Kalaam Ahanger, a resident of Kupwara, was retrieved by a joint team of river police and locals.

The body has been taken into custody by police and after medico-legal formalities would be handed over to the family for last rites, the officer added.



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Eight Houses Gutted In Fire

SRINAGAR: At least eight houses were gutted while over 35 others are engulfed as massive fire rages in hilly area of Banihal in Ramban district, officials said.

They said the fire erupted in Hijwah village of Mahu Mangit area under the jurisdiction of police post Khari.

The area is hilly and houses are mainly made of wood, the officials said. So far eight houses have been gutted in the fire, the cause of which is still unknown. The area is around 40 kilometers from district headquarters.

Quoting SHO Banihal Nayeem Matoo news agency GNS reported that efforts are underway to douse off the flames.



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