Tender DEMISE

GB-Pant-HospialThe unfortunate numbers of infant deaths reported from the Kashmir’s lone Paediatric Hospital GB Pant and Maternity healthcare facility are again making rounds. A staggering number of 131 deaths in past 44 days have been reported.

In the year 2012, GB Pant came under the scanner for rising number of reports of infant deaths due to ‘carelessness of authorities and infrastructural shortcomings’.

The issue became so huge that government had to intervene after which the Medical Superintendent was suspended. Now that months have passed the scene has not gotten any better.

While the hospital continues to report scores of infant deaths every month, doctors at the hospital blame improper management and unhygienic conditions in peripheral hospitals responsible for the alarming mortality rate.

As per official data of the hospital, they have said 41 deaths out of 59 were referral cases. They refute that it has to do anything with the facilities of the hospital but the delay in the cases reaching from various district and sub-district hospitals.

They say the main reason for the majority of deaths is due to poor management of babies post their birth in the hospitals in the far flung areas like Anantnag, Kupwara, Ganderbal, Kulgam, Pulwama, Baramulla and even few cases from Bandipora, Budgam and the Srinagar city as well.

According to some resident doctors, deaths in referral cases happens within 1 to 24 hours after babies reaches the main hospital. They say it shows the improper management and unhygienic conditions prevalent in these peripheral hospitals.

The question here is nobody cares enough. Be it carelessness, management fiasco or any other reason ultimately it is the life of infants and their mothers at cost. These reports are raising an alarm to the government and all the concerned to intervene and find an immediate solution to the problem.

Zanskar STATUS

A team of public representatives of Kargil District led by Legislator and Advisor to the Chief Minister, Qamar Ali Akhoon in a memorandum presented to Cabinet Sub-Committee on creation of new administrative units in the State, demanded District status to Zanskar Sub-Division, Sub-Division status for Shakarchiktan, Tehsil status for Taisuroo and Shergole, and Niyabat status for TSG Block.

They said that Mushtaq Ganai Committee has reportedly recommended Sub-Division status to Sankoo, Tehsil status to Shakarchiktan and Drass, Niyabat status to Lungnak Zanskar, Taisuroo and Shergole besides CD Block to Sodh.

Justifying the demand the Committee drew home the need for creation of District Zanskar, Sub-Division Shakarchiktan, Tehsils of Taisuroo and Shergole besides Niyabat for TSG Block, and CD Block to Barsoo Nalla, Stooth Zanskar and bifurcation of Drass Block, and said that the difficult terrain and geographical position of Kargil District besides remoteness of the areas necessitate the creation of these administrative units to reach out to the people amicably for development needs and delivery of governance smoothly.

Akhoon said that creation of these administrative units has been the long cherished desire of people living in far-flung and remote areas. He expressed confidence that the Cabinet Sub-Committee keeping in view the backwardness and adverse geographical conditions of Kargil District would accommodate the demand and fulfil the desire of the people of Kargil.

Striking HUNGER

LATER--PULWAMA-Hunger-StrikeShutdown and hunger strike by the people of Litter for Tehsil status to ‘Shahoora’ area entered into third day. Four people on hunger strike were hospitalised after their condition worsened.

Amid a complete strike in the area hundreds of people from Litter and dozens of other nearby villages assembled in the main Chowk Litter to join a group of nearly a dozen people who are on hunger strike since Wednesday morning.

They said that four people on hunger strike were hospitalised after their condition worsened in the afternoon. They were identified as Tariq Ahmad Mir, Showkat Ahmad Mir, Tariq Ahmad Aahanger and Gulzar Ahmad Wani. They said that the officials from the district administration failed to pacify the people to end the strike.

“ACR, Pulwama, Shah Faisal along with some other officials visited the spot and tried to pacify the people to end the strike but all his efforts failed to yield any results. The committee members clearly told the officials that the strike will continue until and unless the government assures them of Tehsil status to Shahoora with Tehsil headquarter, Litter,” reports said.

The members of the civil society said that they will continue the strike until somebody from the district administration or CSC comes and announces before them that only Litter will be granted Tehsil status.

“Litter is the centrally located township in the area and on the basis of its population, market and distance from district headquarter has already been proposed by many committees constituted for the purpose by the government. But we are surprised and shocked to learn that the authorities have instead recommended Lassipora for Tehsil status,” said a civil society member, Javed Munawar.

ACR, Pulwama, Shah Faisal, said that he tried his best to pacify the people to end the strike but failed. He said that the district administration has also forwarded the representation of the people of the area to the CSC.

Minister for PHE and the member of CSC, Sharma Lal Sharma, said that people should wait for the final report of the committee.

“Revenue department is also working on it. We want to make sure that the new administrative units be set up on the basis of logic. People instead of going for strikes should wait for the committee report,” the minister said.

Beefing STATEMENT!

sanjay-tikuThe Kashmiri Pandit Sangarsh Samiti (KPSS) has flayed the “non-action” and “silent approach” of the State Administration particularly from the Municipality Health Officers for not taking any “action” against the beef shops which are functioning particularly in Srinagar and generally in the Muslim majority Kashmir Valley.

A statement issued by the (KPSS) president Sanjay Tickoo said that the activities were deliberately being done by the State Government with the help of un-scrupulous elements to make the pandit community insecure on the socio- religious ground.

Tickoo said that as the security situation has improved in the state, these unscrupulous elements are using worst tactics by opening beef shops in the areas where Kashmiri Pandits reside.

He said that these things are being done to harm the solidarity and promote enmity between the two communities. He warned that these things could affect the peaceful atmosphere between the two communities and this could prove disastrous for the Kashmiri society.

KPSS has sought an answer from the Srinagar Municipal Corporation for allowing slaughtering / processing and selling of beef in Srinagar. It has quoted a reply to the RTI filed by KPSS dated February 19, 2013 when the corporation has stated that it has not given any permission or license to run a shop, place for slaughtering and selling of beef within the municipal limits of the city.

KPSS has also asked the Concerned SHO’s of State Police for allowing this kind of act in their respective jurisdictions when it is forbidden in the State and is punishable by law under section 298-A, 298-B and 298-C and 153-A(1), 295-A and 504 of Ranbir Penal Code (RPC)

“It clearly depicts that these concerned officers are hand in glove with these un-scrupulous elements to damage the social fabric so that they can force the left out Kashmiri Pandits out of Kashmir without executing any visible offensive tactics,” the statement said.

KPSS has warned all the functionaries of the State Government to act against these illegal things on priority basis, without any failure. “Else the matter will be dealt legally against them before the Court of Law for being facilitators of the same,” Tickoo concluded.

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