SIACHEN 
An investigation is underway about the crashing of a Cheetah chopper over the Siachen glacier. Its pilot Major Chandrashekhar Singh (Hajipur, Patna) was killed and the co-pilot Maj Amit Mahendru injured in the crash reported near Bhim post about 400 metres from the helipad.
The flying machine belonged to 666 Siachen Pioneers squadron of the Army’s Leh based Aviation Corps. Cheetah’s, a French manufacture inducted in 1971, are flying over Siachen for last 25 years but the fleet is ageing. Primarily deployed for surveillance, casualty evacuation and air maintenance tasks, there are about 125 Cheetah and 55 Chetak light utility helicopters in service but the fleet stands stretched way beyond its given life.
HIGH COURT
High Court has stayed the State Information Commission order that had declared J&K Bank a “public authority” under J&K Right to Information Act. Justice J P Singh passed the order observing the provisions of RTI Act have raised important issues so the state government that promulgated the law should be impleaded as a party. The bank has argued that it is not a public authority at all. The SIC on April 24, 2012 had ruled that J&K Bank was a Public Authority and termed it a landmark decision.
NISHAT
After filmmaker Azim shot a song of his film Qasam Se Qasam Se (QSQS) in Srinagar’s Mughal gardens, a number of filmmakers have shown intent to capture Kashmir beauty in their upcoming films. It was scriptwriter Nazim who insisted that all the songs be shot in Kashmir. Song Tere Bagair Zindagi Mumkin Nahi, sung by Kunal Ganjawala, was entirely shot in Nishat. But making it happen was not so easy. The crew counted 72 brass fountains in the garden but only a few were functional. The crew invested one complete day in making these functional before the song was recorded! They used three-foot long iron rods along with anti-rust chemicals to remove the clogging. If the filmmakers are working to manage the sets to suit them, what is the state government doing?
UDHAMPUR
Outgoing Army Chief General V K Singh paid a farewell visit to Northern Command last week and discussed the security situation in the state, one last time. Singh is retiring on May 31.
SRINAGAR
It seems it has happened for the first time. A traffic police squad last week towed away the flagged car of a minster for wrong parking at Nehru Park. The car JK01M 8855 belonging to a cabinet minister was removed by cops at 6 PM when it was obstructing the vehicular movement. It was not immediately known who had driven the car to the tourist place.
SKICC
Around 150 members of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India and their families are in Srinagar for their 13th Annual Conference. Minister of Corporate Affairs M. Veerappa Moily flew to preside over the inaugural function as chief minister Omar Abdullah delivered the key speech. Though there are only 30 company secretaries operating in J&K, the ICSI is training around 700 boys and girls across the state. Officials said with markets opening up amid thrust over corporate governance and ethical practice, this profession will see a boost in coming years. It is one of the courses that has the lowest capitation fees, and is affordable for almost every economic class, after completing 12th standard.
