‘Against Govt’s Failure to Compensate Them’, Shaheed Gunj Traders Observe Shutdown

KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR

A complete shutdown was Tuesday observed by the Shaheed Gunj traders against the government’s failure of compensating the flood hit business establishers of the area.

Reports said that all the shops and other business establishments remained closed to mark a protest against the government who according to the association president failed to rehabilitate them.

Presidents of four market organizers told KNS that they are seeking compensation form the government but so far they failed to rehabilitate them. “We appeal Governor and others to redress our genuine demands soon,” he said.

Meanwhile, an organization team comprising of five members including Raja Fida Hussain, Mehraj-ud-Din Shah, Shareef Ahmad, Aijaz Ahmad and Showkat Ahmad met Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, Farooq Ahmad Lone and appealed him to redress their grievances soon.

Raja Fida Hussain while talking said that the Deputy Commissioner assured them that the amount will be transferred in their accounts within two days. “We are hopeful that DC will redress our problem soon,” he said.

from Kashmir Life http://ift.tt/1LtKhE4
via IFTTThttp://ift.tt/1iGhVXj

Pampore Protests Against ‘Controversial’ NFSA, Demands its Rollback

 KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR

The residents of Pampore area Tuesday staged protests against the CAPD department for failing to provide adequate ration to them and demanded the rollback of NFSA.

Protesters blocked Srinagar-Jammu highway at Pampore to protest against the recently-implemented National Food Security Act (NFSA).

Reports said that the protesters were raising anti-NFSA slogans during the demonstration at Drangbal in Pampore area of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district.

The residents said that the ration quota provided by the government is not sufficient. “The government should keep in mind that we are rice eaters and should take necessary steps in this regard, which will accommodate the aspirations of people in the Valley,” they said.

The residents said that the authorities are forcing them to take to streets by using such tactics. “The government should immediately redress our genuine demands,” they said.

The protesters later dispersed peacefully. (KNS)

from Kashmir Life http://ift.tt/1nggoM3
via IFTTThttp://ift.tt/1iGhVXj

At Srinagar’s commercial Hubs, Wakf Property Users Pay Peanuts as Rent

KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR

The Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Wakf property despite located at prime commercial locations have not been able to generate the proportionate revenue, courtesy the insignificant rentals and crores pending as rents with the users.

The Wakf Board has thousands of shops within Srinagar Municipal limits. But the Wakf property has been given to people on favouritism at peanuts without any criteria or following any law.

Taj Hotel, located at the commercial hub of the Valley, has 50 rooms, in two floors and these rooms have been for decades rented for 3 lakh per year at a monthly rate of Rs 25000.

One wonders that how can 50 rooms in the prime location of summer capital be rented at such cheap rates.

Vice Chairman Wakf Board, Peer Mohammad Hussain told KNS that the Taj Hotel has 49 rooms, a kitchen and two halls that have been leased out in 2001 to a user.

“As per new Wakf Board Act of 2003, the fixation of rent was evaluated scientifically as per the market rates. So, in 2005, the rent of Taj Hotel was fixed as Rs 1,06,947 per month. Thus, the hotel user had to pay rent as per it. But he did not,” he said.

The 2003 Act and new rent evaluation were not implemented due to political interference and the lobbying of these property users against it.

“The hotel user is paying just 3 lakh rupees for a year which was decided in closed doors through ‘negotiations’ between the user and some Wakf officials several years ago,” Hussain said.

“And, surprisingly, today the tenant says that most of the rooms are useless. This year, we have given the tenant a notice to clear all balance and renew the rent as per new market rate,” he said.

The Board served a notice to the user in November last year, saying that the fair license fee for the said premises according to the present market rate is assessed/ evaluated @ 52.50 for the first floor and 39.38 for the second floor per square foot per month.

“Now, therefore, you are asked to execute fresh license deed within a period of one month from this notice as per the new rates…failing which you shall be liable to vacate the premises, for which no further notice shall be given,” reads the notice of the Wakf.

Explaining the procedure of using of Wakf property, Hussain said that it can either be leased out or a license can be issued to a user.

While a license to user, valid for just 11 months, is the competence of VC, the lease is done by the Board.

“License is valid for 11 months after which it is to be renewed or new user can be given the license. The lease is valid for five years, and then if renewed by the user, it is doubled to 10 years. And ultimately for 40 years and not more than that,” the VC explains.

The VC said that in the case of Taj Hotel, the agreement of the lease is not registered and no period of lease or the term of the lease has been described, accordingly, it is in contravention of the law.

He said that as per the Wakf Board Act of 2003, all licenses and leases have become ineffective.

“So the users are occupying the property illegally and are unauthorised to use the shops and hotels. Still we are giving the users an opportunity to become legal users as per the new Act,” he said.

The outstanding rent with the Wakf property users was 5 Crore rupees, from which about 1 Crore has been paid by the users to the board that too when they were served repeated notices.

Like Taj Hotel, the Wakf Board has served similar notices to all the users. “But so far no user has come forward even after the notices. They are considering as booty when it is our religious property, which we can use to create assets for public,” Hussain said.

from Kashmir Life http://ift.tt/1LtKhnC
via IFTTThttp://ift.tt/1iGhVXj

‘After Objection From Admin, Hurriyat (m) Postpones Screening of Documentary’

KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR

The screening of the documentary “Children in Conflict-Torn Kashmir” which was scheduled to be held tomorrow in Hotel Mumtaz Towers, Srinagar, has been postponed after the “objection” from the administration.  Human Rights Division of APHC (m) has made the documentary.

However, due to the objection raised by the administration for holding the screening at the said venue the APHC has decided to postpone the screening of the documentary, a statement issued here said. “In this connection, APHC will come out with its detailed response to the objection of the administration shortly.”

from Kashmir Life http://ift.tt/1nggovv
via IFTTThttp://ift.tt/1iGhVXj

Mulberry Tree Falls, Injures Student in Srinagar

Ubeer Naqushbandi

SRINAGAR

An engineering student from Shopian Tuesday afternoon got injured when a mulberry tree fell over him at a construction site of ERA near Government Arts Emporium in Srinagar.

A Police official said that the student was walking on the road near Government Arts Emporium, when a huge mulberry tree fell, injuring him badly.

He was identified as Feroz Ahmed Bhat, 26, S/o Mohammad Shafi Bhat of Kellar Shopian. Earlier ERA workers were drilling the road near the site of the mishap where road widening is in progress.

The condition of the boy is, however, said to be stable in hospital.

from Kashmir Life http://ift.tt/1L1YTe7
via IFTTThttp://ift.tt/1iGhVXj

Briefing

BARAMULLA

A rare catch, the counter-insurgency grid has arrested Mohammad Sidiq, alias Shahid, a resident of Sialkot. At 18 years of age, he perhaps is the youngest militant in police custody, right now. Police says he is a Jaish recruit from Afzal Guru Squad who has been in Baramulla for almost a fortnight now. His last action in Kashmir was in Tangdar in November 2015. Arrested from Kanishpora, he has told police that he was part of a 4-member group that was launched from Ashmuqam.

DELHI

She is yet to claim the throne her father left but Ms Mehbooba Mufti is already the fourth powerful woman in India. As per the survey carried out by Delhi based Indian Express, Ms Mufti figures at 14th position, ahead of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Rajasthan Chief Minister, Vasundhara Raje, BSP chief Mayawati and Priyanka Gandhi. The reason cited by the surveyor is that she played a pivotal role in shaping PDP which emerged as the single largest party in Jammu and Kashmir in 2014 elections.

 

DALGATE

Kashmir has been synonymous with protest for a long time now. By and large, every protest has been getting violent and that has been consistently adding new handicaps to the society. Last week, a group of women in Dalgate came out in protest against the denial of required food grains under the new food security act. Instead of shouting slogans against officials, they sung ballads highlighting denial of the food and later sat on a protest. Their peculiar singing protest attracted more people towards them.

DODA

It has been a grave tragedy. Kalyan Singh Parihar is a government officer posted at Jammu. As he was informed that his father died, he rushed with his entire family in a car. He was about to get into Doda that his car met a road accident. He died with his wife, and aunt. Many others are injured, some of them critically. His father lived in Jodhpur near Ghat.

CHANDIGARH

They wore a black ribbon and their employers sacked them. Six Kashmiri employees deployed in Mohali under central government run Skill Development Programme reported to their duties with black armbands. On the 25th anniversary of the Kunan Mass rapes, these students also distributed handbills. Soon, they got the pink slips. With Kashmir already in sharp focus in the backdrop of happenings in the JNU, it got lot of publicity. Next day, the employers restored their job.

DELHI

Agha Shahid Ali has written a lot of poetry on Kashmir and one of his 1997 poems was – The Country Without a Post Office. Recently some JNU students had converted this into a poster. This angered Union Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu who mistook the title for an indictment against Prime Minister Modi. “The heading of the poster says: ‘A country without a post office’. Is India without post office? The entire world is looking towards India under the great leadership of Shri Narendra Modiji today,” Naidu shouted in the Lok Sabha. “I am a Minister of Urban Development and I can tell you that 36 countries have approached me in the recent past saying that they want to invest in India because this is the best place and also it is a hope for investment. That is the mood. The world is respecting India and some people are putting up posters saying: ‘A country without a post office.’”

Almost 35 kms, which is around one-third of the total rail tunneling between Banihal and Katra is completed

 

Srinagar temperature was 20.6 degrees in February 1940 and 76 years later in 2016

from Kashmir Life http://ift.tt/1QIIdEq
via IFTTThttp://ift.tt/1iGhVXj

‘Fun Activity Week’ Thrills Students, Teachers; Evokes Good Response

Ubeer Naqushbandi

SRINAGAR

The first day of “Fun Activity Week” announced earlier by Director School Education Dr Shah Faesal in schools started Tuesday with the beginning of new academic session. The thrill among the students was visible as schools opened after a two month long winter break.

“Today we had interaction with teachers and a light amount of study,” said Faisal Mehraj, 11^th grade student of SP higher secondary school. His friend echoing his views said that as already announced by the authorities about ‘fun week’, he said that it was a kind of regrouping after a long break.

Another student Jazib of Tyndale Biscoe School said, “It is a good step being taken by authorities as after a long winter vacation, it needs time for streamlining and getting into mould of studies.”

The teachers were duly enthusiastic to interact with students. Naila, a lecturer at higher secondary said, “We just had an interaction with the students. They, too, felt very enthusiastic about it.”

Sheemu another lecturer at valley’s oldest school SP higher secondary school said that this is not for the first time that they have been doing this in the past and by official confirmation it got a “punch” which she feels was necessary.

Senior lecturer G.N. Shakir said, “we conducted morning assemblies and from the word go started to interact with students in a very cordial atmosphere. He said that it was necessary not only from a teacher’s perspective but from student’s perspective as well. “Student’s viewpoints are essential and help us to formulate our teaching methodology accordingly. “This fun activity would continue for a week and would bring vibrancy among teachers,” he said.

from Kashmir Life http://ift.tt/1oVB8KW
via IFTTThttp://ift.tt/1iGhVXj