UJJAIN

DakotaA part of history will be lost forever when a 1946 Dakota aircraft that B K Birla Group owned and used will be dismantled in this Madhya Pradesh town. After its last flight from Mumbai in 1990, this unused aircraft was sold as scrap in July 2013. Now engineers from Dakota are dismantling it on the Nagda airstrip. The importance of this aircraft is that it was used in first war over Kashmir in 1947-48.

LADAKH

In 104 Padma awards that Delhi announced this year, Ladakh got one for Chewang Norphel. Known as Ladakh’s iceman, Norphel makes artificial glaciers in winter that feed agricultural requirements in early spring. He diverts water to village peripheries towards shady useless areas and that converts into glacier during winters and feeds locals early summer. This low cost technology is contributing to the fragile ecology as well but that does not impact his innovative methods for greater good. Thanks Delhi, one Kashmiri was saved by getting counted with Mumma Kanna!

DELHI

Obama-in-IndiaPerhaps for the first time, the US president skipped visiting outlets specializing in Kashmir handicrafts. At least two major Kashmir retailers would make some quick bucks whenever US ‘royals’ would grace Delhi, but the tradition discontinued after Clintons left White House. Obama did not visit Kashmir either. His only connection with Kashmir was Nadru kebabs, Gushtab and Roganjosh. The other connection was the Pashmina shawl that President Pranab Mukhrejee gifted to the first lady Michelle. There were reports that Ms Mehbooba Mufti was invited to the power dinner that Mukhrejee hosted. Nobody knows if she went and if yes, did she at all talk about Kashmir?

JAMMU

bonded-labourRescued and left in lurch. This is what happened to family of six when authorities rescued them from clutches of a brick kiln owner, who had allegedly turned the family into bonded labourers in Kathua district. Later on authorities adopted the “shed responsibility and problem fixes itself attitude” as after a lapse of over 8 days the family is still living in the premises of Social Welfare office. Hira Singh, his wife, three daughters and one infant was in Kashmir till floods devastated valley. He went to Kathua where he was trapped. Though free from claws of kiln owner, he has nowhere to go. Is anybody listening?

CHENNAI

Justice-Narayanan-Nadar-Paul-Vasantha-KumarThe March 1955-born judge, Justice N Paul Vasanthakumar, has taken a cross- country leap from Kanyakumari, where he was born, to Kashmir. A tough customer when it comes to implementation of court orders, Justice Vasanthakumar is new Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir. For almost every working day, a verdict of his was published by journals, reason his penchant for details and benevolent interpretation of law. In his nine-year-one-month-tenure as Madras HC judge, he disposed of an incredible 91,505 cases, including 45,770 main cases. Kashmir may create record figure for Justice Vasanthakumar, as here judiciary mostly drives police and executive.

AHMADABAD

Natural disasters and human interventions are linked. This is what experts of All India Disaster Mitigation Institute (AIDMI), Ahmadabad, suggest. Not only this, they have revealed that district Ramban and Kupwara are vulnerable to 14 and 16 types of disasters, respectively. Though 14 vulnerabilities are common, the addition in case of Kupwara is cross-border firing and militancy. Besides other causes, the experts say that laying of railway line, road network, including the four-laning of the Jammu-Srinagar highway, have been the cause of landslides, floods and man-animal conflicts in J&K. Probably this is not the first warning. But who cares.

PULWAMA

Indebted without availing the loan facility! Yes, this is what has happened in South Kashmir’s district Pulwama. It was police intervention  that helped in surfacing a major scam in Ellaquai Dehati Bank where Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) have been issued on fake names and loans have been withdrawn against these cards. The scandal is believed to have a nexus of officials and brokers. The lid was taken off when bank asked around 50 people to re-pay instalments of the KCC loan which they have never availed. Next time be sure before handing over your documents to any Tom, Dick or Harry.

More than 1,100 people have committed suicide during the last three years in Jammu and Kashmir, majority of them being in the age group of 17-35.

 

 

Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) announced 59 days long annual pilgrimage to holy cave shrine of Shri Amarnath ji in South Kashmir Himalayas from July 2 to August 29.

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