PLANNED: The government is taking up a Rs 1.55 crore ropeway project in Kishtwar district to connect the remote but highly productive areas of the region to market places providing better marketing opportunities to the farmers of the region.
ARRESTED: Police arrested a woman and her paramour for allegedly killing her husband by mixing insecticide in his health tonic in less than two months of their marriage at village Dadwara in Phinter area of Billawar in Kathua district.
EMPLOYING: Para-military Special Services Bureau is recruiting 300 schedule caste youth from J&K. The SSB, reportedly, wanted to recruit SC youth into the force from the Kashmir valley. However, DG SSB was told that there was no SC population in the Valley.
OBSERVED: Taking exception to death of a surrendered militant, allegedly tortured to death by army in Kupwara district, 13 years ago, the State Human Rights Commission highlighted the challenges for government in implementation of surrender cum rehabilitation policy. The killing should serve as an “eye opener” for the government, the court observed.
EXHIBITING: A photo exhibition-cum auction by five Kashmiri photographers is starting in Mahatta Art Gallery near Polo View from June 25. The photographers include Faheem Qadri, Showkat Nanda, Yawar Kabli, Yasir Iqbal and Imran Ali.
SLATED: The second edition of the Mughal road car rally, on the ancient 84-km Shopian-Bafliaz stretch of the Mughal Road, will start from Srinagar on June 26. The rally, being organised by Shimla-based Himalayan Motorsport Association (HMA) in collaboration with the state government, will conclude in Srinagar after traversing 750 km in two days.
IDENTIFIED: The union tourism ministry is identifying 20 new tourist destinations in the state and earmarked funds for development of three mega circuits. The ministry also intends to hold a laser show in the Dal Lake to woo tourists.
PLANNED: To overcome the shortage of staff in the emergency departments in the State, the government has planned to recruit over 50,000 casual staff. The departments identified so far are Power Development Department, Public Health Engineering, Irrigation and Flood Control, Health and Medical Education, Education, Rural and Urban Development
ASKED: The UN’s Human Rights Council (HRC) has asked the Government of India to conduct a thorough, prompt and impartial investigation into the civilians’ killings by security forces during last year’s summer unrest and fake encounters. The plea has been made in a report of Christof Heyns, special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions which was presented in the 127th session of HRC recently.
QUESTIONED: The CBI has questioned senior IAS officer Sada Kant, for alleged misappropriation in construction of a road in Leh. He was posted as Joint Secretary (Border Management) in the Home Ministry and has been repatriated to his home cadre last month.
AWAITING: Six months after the government’s announcement to put Radio Frequency Indicator (RFI) tags on the Kashmiri handicrafts, the authorities are yet to implement it. The Federation Chamber of Industries Kashmir flayed the government for not implementing its decision.
PREVENTED: The state has decided to prevent photographers aged less than 21 and more than 37 years from photographing in the famous Mughal Gardens. The floriculture department had issued an order in 2008 barring photographers outside the prescribed age group to shoot in the Mughal gardens and other parks.
MOOTED: The Medical Council of India has mooted a proposal to increase numbers of MBBS seats in two government medical colleges of Jammu and Srinagar from 200 to 300. The number of the seats is likely to be increased from 100 to 150 in each medical college.
OBSERVED: Islamabad town in south Kashmir observed a shutdown to mark the 17th death anniversary of the founder of Umat-e-Islami (UI) Qazi Nisar Ahmad. The slain leader was killed by unidentified gunmen on June, 19, 1994.
OMITTED: The CBI, Interpol’s nodal agency in India, has omitted fugitive Major Avtar Singh’s name from its updated list of ‘most wanted persons’ on its website. Singh, a Major in 35 Rashtriya Rifles is accused of abducting and killing Kashmiri human rights activist and lawyer Jaleel Andrabi in 1996 and is on Interpol’s watch list.
DIRECTED: State Human Rights Commission has directed police to submit the investigation report about the killing of a 70-year-old beggar, who was shot dead by army in alleged fake encounter in Kupwara in April 2010.
LAUNCHED: Health Mail, the first magazine dealing exclusively with health and related issues in Kashmir has hit the stands. The magazine is the brainchild of Syeda Nafila, a doctor, while senior journalist Morifat Qadri is its chief editor.
ARRESTED: Police arrested two persons including kin of a former National Conference Minister, Nissar Khan in connection with the stabbing of a Government Polytechnic College student. One of the accused is the brother of the former NC minister Nissar Khan.
SHIFTED: Justice Sunil Hali of J&K High Court, has been transferred and posted as a judge of Allahabad High Court.
OFFERED: Halcrow Consulting India Limited, a part of Ms Halcrow Group of UK has offered its services to J&K State Power Development Corporation Limited to asses the losses suffered by the state because of Indus Water Treaty.
PERFORMED: A solo performance by the renowned Indian singer and composer, Seema Anil Sehgal, is the highlight of the international Urdu conference being held at Long Island, New York, from 24 to 26 June 2011. Seema is the only singer invited to perform at this prestigious conference.
CHAMBLIYAL: At the yearly trans-border festival of Baba Dalip Singh Manhas, in Ramgarh, the bonhomie between the rivals was impressive. IGP BSF S Chatopadhyay said if things do not go off the script, soldiers from the two sides may play volleyball and football matches. They may even jointly patrol the border as per the proposal mooted sometime back in Lahore. This year, it was Brigadier Masood of Chenab Range who handed over the traditional Chaddar to the BSF officers with flowers and other things for the festival. In response, they take Sharbat and Shakkar – water and soil actually – from the shrine to Saidanwali village.
PULWAMA: After establishing that the Rs 22 crore meant for acquiring land for roads were embezzled the then Additional DC Adil Rashid, the State Vigilance Organization attached certain properties. It included two two-storey house at Peer Bagh and Iqbal Colony in Srinagar, besides land at Nowgam, Noorpora, Medora and Lalgam in Tral. However, all these properties are not worth more than Rs 5 crore. Where has ADC parked rest of the money?
KELLER : Manzoor Ahmad Dar was shot dead in his house compound at Vishroo Payeen Kellar. It looked like a routine militant action. Police reached the spot and started looking for his relatives. Dar had two brothers – Farooq Ahmad who lives in Pampore and Ashiq Hussain who is settled somewhere in Pattan.
As the police rang them up, they said they were out of Kashmir and would rush to the ancestral village. Somehow police opted for a crosscheck and were surprised that they both were in Kashmir. Initially the police raided Farooq’s Pampore residence. During interrogation he broke down and spilled the beans. He revealed the conspiracy that emanated from the enmity between the three brothers over inheritance.
In fact, Farooq admitted he had fired three rounds on his brother from a Chinese pistol (now with police) and later fled from the scene. Later, Ashiq was also rounded up. The two will rot in the jail if sleuths submit proofs to the court. From Kirmoo village in Ramnagar, in a similar case, police arrested married sisters Sulekha and Nisha for murdering Raghubir Singh. Investigations suggested he was not paying the duo for their “services”.
KOLKATA : Filmmaker Sanghamitra Chaudhuri has completed shooting of her comedy travelogue titled ‘K. Loda in Kashmir’ in the valley. The shooting took place in many places in Kashmir including Mughal gardens, Dal Lake, Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Thajiwas glacier. Back home, and busy shooting, the director said they were stopped “by the military every five minutes” and faced “a barrage of questions.” The film is the story of a girl Ichhe who flees to Kashmir.
DELHI:After months of silence, the BJP in J&K has got a reason to celebrate. Their columnist spokesman Dr Jitender Singh was denied a US visa. He was part of a party delegation that was slated to attend a Republican event in Washington.
While all others were permitted Dr Singh was denied a visa. BJP sees it a rare honour because US has denied visa to Narinder Modi, the Gujarat chief minister for sponsoring the pogrom of Muslims. There is no specific reason in public domain but indications suggest it was his role in enforcing economic blockade on Kashmir, Ladakh, Poonch, Rajouri and Doda in 2008 that triggered massive unrest in Kashmir.
JAMMU: Pet owners in Jammu are being asked to register their pets so that they wear Jammu Municipal Corporation’s collar. People will be fined if the unregistered pets are detected. Officials said the decision is part of the implementation of the Jammu and Kashmir Municipal Corporation Act 2000. The registration envisages recording gender, colour, identification mark, breed, age, immunisation record and two photographs of the pets. Every registration will cost Rs 500 and would be renewed for Rs 300 every year.
