Pulwama: Seven 51-MM mortar shells and 260 Pika rounds were recovered in Tral area south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, officials said.

“Based on credible input, a joint team of Police, 42RR and CRPF 180BN launched a search operation in Nawdal Tral area of Awantipora,” a police spokesman said.

“During search operation, huge cache of explosive material and ammunition including seven 51-MM mortar shells, 260 Pika rounds and other incriminating materials were recovered which were kept hidden underground by the (militants),” he said.

Accordingly, he said, a case vide  FIR No. 87/2021 under relevant sections of law stands registered at Police Station Tral and further investigation is in progress. (GNS)

Asks DCs to put more focus on religious places, market, public places

Srinagar: Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha Friday asked the officers to b well-prepared in advance to deal with the possible third Covid wave. He interacted with senior officials, Deputy Commissioners and SPs to discuss Covid related situation in the UT.

During the Covid Task Force meeting, the Lt Governor took an assessment of health infrastructure, Oxygen plants and measures being taken to contain the spread of Corona virus.

In the meeting with DCs and SPs, Lt Governor reviewed the progress of vaccination, positive cases in the districts, Covid Appropriate Behaviour (CAB) and steps taken to further strengthen the measures during post-unlock period.

Test-Track-Treat and now, Teeka are long term solutions to mitigate the spread of Corona Virus. Panchayats with large number of positive cases should be paid special attention to set up Micro Containment Zones, observed the Lt Governor.

He also passed specific directions for increasing RT-PCR tests in areas with high positivity rate.

The Lt Governor directed the officials to be well-prepared in advance to deal with the possible 3rd Wave of Corona Virus or any future health emergencies.

Health experts have cautioned the world against the third wave of covid. We need to be vigilant and put our all-out efforts to save precious lives by intensifying vaccination drives, increasing testing, improving contact tracing, ensuring Covid Appropriate Behaviour being followed by the people, besides focusing improvements in all critical factors of Preventive care, effective Clinical and Patient Care management, maintained the Lt Governor.

On being informed about the 13 Districts now completed the 100% vaccination of 1st dose in 45 and above age group, the Lt Governor congratulated the DCs, Health functionaries, Frontline health workers of the respective districts for achieving the milestone and asked the remaining districts to put some extra effort to ensure that the target population would be vaccinated at the earliest.

Speaking on the efforts being made by the UT Government for the advancement and development of the health sector, the Lt Governor observed that J&K has recorded significant improvements in different health indicators.

Taking strict note of the people flaunting Covid protocols, the Lt Governor directed the DCs and SPs to ensure adherence of Covid Appropriate Behaviour, following of covid protocols like wearing face masks, and implementation of restrictions & guidelines in their respective districts, especially in tourist places.

Explore innovative ways to restrict crowding in dense areas, besides putting more focus on religious places, market & public places, added the Lt Governor.

The Lt Governor called for devising a Responsive Information mechanism so that correct and timely information shall reach the people from authoritative sources. Publicize the availability of vaccination in centres in advance for the convenience of the people, he added.

While taking stock of the functionality of Oxygen generation plants, the Lt Governor advised for utilizing available oxygen capacity for effective functioning of ICUs at District Hospitals. This will also reduce the referrals of patients to the GMCs, he added.

Discussion was also held on prioritizing vaccination in Colleges and Universities.

Meanwhile, the Lt Governor also passed specific directions to the DCs and SPs pertaining to other issues of public importance. Taking festive season into consideration, the Lt Governor directed for keeping a strict check on the prices of the commodities. He further directed the DCs to identify accident-prone areas in their respective districts and take preventive measures.

The Lt Governor advised the DCs and SPs to use official media platforms to counter misinformation intended to disrupt peace or hurt religious sentiments.

Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Medical Education Department gave a detailed briefing on various critical factors of the Covid management.

He informed that the positivity rate in J&K has reduced to 0.3 %, besides 18 Districts are in Green Zone as per new set indicators with 99% population in 45 and above age group is now vaccinated with 1st dose.

Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, Advisor to Lt Governor; Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary; Dilbag Singh, DGP; Shaleen Kabra, Principal Secretary, Home Department; Shailendra Kumar, Principal Secretary, Public Works (R&B) Department; Nitishwar Kumar, Principal Secretary to the Lt Governor; Pandurang K Pole, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir; Vijay Kumar, IGP Kashmir; Dr. Raghav Langer, Divisional Commissioner Jammu; Deputy Commissioners and SPs, attended the meetings, in person and through virtual mode.

Jammu: In a step aimed at better Solid Waste Management processes and environmental sustainability in the UT, and to facilitate easy segregation, disposal and processing of waste generated in Jammu city, Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha Friday inaugurated the Material Recovery facility at Bandurakh, Jammu.

The new facility has been equipped with latest-technology based machinery for better efficiency to achieve 100% recovery from the dry waste. It will ease the collection and segregation of all kinds of paper waste, cardboard and plastic etc from day to day waste generated in the City.

Speaking on the occasion, the Lt Governor said that the new facility will complement the government’s efforts for effective Solid Waste Management, and will contribute towards Swachh Bharat Mission of J&K.

Government is giving focused attention towards Waste Management for a sustainable urban future in the UT. We are putting consistent efforts into formulation of creative Waste Management Strategies for environmental sustainability, besides making the protection and preservation of the environment an integral part of our development plan, said the Lt Government.

By adopting the 3Rs approach “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”, we are minimizing the waste in a scientific manner so that our cities become more sustainable and clean, the Lt Governor remarked.

The concept of reducing the amount of waste generated by reducing consumption is essential to waste management. The reuse of items, or re-purposing them for a use different from what they are originally intended for is the next essential thing in the waste reduction hierarchy. The last stage of the waste hierarchy is to recycle. Recycling is the transformation of waste into raw material for manufacturing a new item. Thus, the 3Rs approach stands at the very top of the waste management hierarchy, he added.

Underscoring the key components of the Swachhta Kendra, the Lt Governor observed that the new facility will maximize the quantity of recyclables to be processed, while segregating materials that will generate the highest possible revenues from the recycling market. It will also help in segregating combustible fraction, non-recyclables and inert from the dry waste stream.

It was informed that the facility has been equipped with various features to make it an economically sustainable socio-technical model. Moreover, it will also act as a support system for capacity building of the waste pickers, waste aggregators, and associated recyclers.

Chander Mohan Gupta, Mayor, JMC said that the Jammu Municipal Corporation is taking several steps and initiatives to ensure implementation of effective solid waste collection, transportation and disposal practices in its jurisdiction.

It is pertinent to mention that recently, the Lt Governor laid the e-foundation of Rs 80 Crore worth Integrated Solid Waste Management facility at Kot-Bhalwal, in collaboration with NAFED.

Jugal Kishore Sharma, Member Parliament; Dr Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary; Dheeraj Gupta, Principal Secretary, H&UDD; Mukesh Singh, Additional DGP; Dr Raghav Langer, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu; Anshul Garg, Deputy Commissioner Jammu attended the inaugural ceremony.

Purnima Sharma, Deputy Mayor JMC; Avny Lavasa, Commissioner JMC; Rohit Khajuria, Vice-Chairman, Jammu Development Authority and other senior officers were also present on the occasion.

Jammu: In the wake of increasing incidents of drones spotting and infiltration attempts along the borders, Army has been equipped with Sig Sauer assault rifles and HD night vision cameras to further strengthen the security grid along the Line of Control in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Friday.

Both India and Pakistan on February 25 issued a joint statement on the ceasefire agreement but after the drone attacks on the Indian Air Force Station Jammu, which was first of its kind in India, several infiltration attempts were made from across the border.

Drones have were also spotted hovering near military establishments in Jammu for almost one month now, following which alert has been sounded in the region.

“While the Indian Army has stepped up vigil in the areas adjoining the LoC in Jammu region, the soldiers guarding the borders, have been equipped with modern Sig Sauer assault rifles,” defence sources said.

They asserted that the soldiers deployed on the border, have also been equipped with some modern weaponry and gadgets like HD fitted cameras and night vision devices.

“Despite the ceasefire agreement, infiltration attempts are being made from across the border and to foil the nefarious designs of the Pakistan, Army has been equipped with modern and hi-tech weaponry,” they said.

Moreover, to tackle the drone threat as well, Army is taking all measures with modern technology, sources added.

According to sources, the first-of its kind drone attack in the country on the Air Force Base and detection of UAVs in the bordering districts of Jammu and Kashmir, prompted the Indian Army to devise a comprehensive strategy to tackle these new threats along the Line of Control (LoC).

“The Army has also enhanced vigil along the LoC to combat the infiltration bids in the coming winters,” they asserted, adding that the Army has been put on high alert to thwart the nefarious designs of Pakistan.

“The Army has revamped its strategy to tackle (UAVs) movement and also to combat infiltration attempts,” they said. Pakistan, through its launch pads based on the other side of the LoC in Poonch sector, is attempting to infiltrate Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) militants into the Indian side. (UNI)

Jammu: A security alert has been sounded in Jammu as well as Samba district after suspected aerial vehicles were seen flying in several areas in these two districts yesterday evening.

Officials said that at 8 PM on Thursday, locals of Jammu and Samba districts spotted aerial vehicles with some blinks of light with many of them making its video.

“The aerial device has been seen at more than five places in Jammu and Samba district,” the officials said. “Quick Reaction Teams are maintaining high alert in the areas where the aerial vehicle was spotted.” the officials said.

The officials further said that the movement of UAV was seen near the security establishment areas forcing the security grid to sound an alert in Jammu and Samba districts. (KNO)

New Delhi: Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui, a Pulitzer Prize winner, was killed in Afghanistan while on a reporting assignment, Afghan ambassador Farid Mamundzay said on Friday.

A resident of Delhi, Siddiqui was on a reporting assignment with the Afghan security forces when he was killed.

Siddiqui’s father Professor Akhtar Siddiqui said: “I got information about my son about one hour ago. The last time I spoke to my son was two days ago, and he was very happy at that time. ”

Afghanistan’s ambassador to India, Farid Mamundzay, tweeted, “Deeply disturbed by the sad news of the killing of a friend, Danish Seddiqi in Kandahar last night. The Indian Journalist & winner of Pulitzer Prize was embedded with Afghan security forces. I met him 2 weeks ago before his departure to Kabul. Condolences to his family & Reuters.”

Danish Siddiqui was constantly capturing Afghan happenings in his camera, and was informing people through his social media posts.

Two days ago, he tweeted: “The Humvee in which I was travelling with other special forces was also targeted by at least 3 RPG rounds and other weapons. I was lucky to be safe and capture the visual of one of the rockets hitting the armour plate overhead”. He also posted a short video about the action.

Siddiqui was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for his coverage of the Rohingya issue.

He was a student of Jamia University and his father has been a professor at the university. (IANS)

By: Jahangir Sofi

Srinagar: Divisional Commissioner Kashmir P K Pole Friday said that there is no ban on the sale and slaughter of sacrificial animals in the Valley as it’s a religious obligation done in memory of Prophet Ismail (AS).

He said that killing of bovine animals has been banned in Kashmir since long and it’s not done here. Divisional Commissioner said that the administration is providing full support to facilitate import of sheep, goat and poultry to Kashmir on the eve of Eid-ul-Adha.

“There is no ban on slaughter and sale of sacrificial animals. It’s a religious obligation done in memory of Prophet Ismail (AS) and we need to respect it,” Pole said. He said administration facilitates entry of sacrificial animals at Lower Munda into Kashmir after proper testing etc. “We also test poultry birds for bird flu before allowing them to enter into the Valley,” Pole said.

He said that as far as bovine animals are concerned, there is already a ban on killing such animals. “It is not done in Kashmir and if it is done, action will be taken,” he said.

On the letter, issued by the Director Planning Animal and Sheep Husbandry, calling for the ‘ban on slaughtering of bovine and sacrificial animals’, the Divisional Commissioner said that letter is not above the rule position and the act is supreme.

“We need to see whether the letter has been issued keeping in view the legal aspect,” he said. Interestingly, the letter had gone viral on social media evoking sharp criticism from the netizens and also from the Mutahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU), an amalgam of Kashmiri Ulemas. Many netizens had termed it as direct interference into religious affairs.

“Care must be taken before passing any information which involves religious aspects and as every religion should be honoured and respected,” he added.

Director Animal, Sheep Husbandry department Kashmir Purnima Mittal said first of all she didn’t not issue any order and it was just an advisory. “This is an advisory issued in response to the Animal Welfare Board of India. These are just norms for the animals for sacrificial animals,” she said. “This is an advisory issued to prevent cruelty against the animals. This calls for banning the slaughter of animals that are three months old or in case the animal is pregnant.”

She said that there is no ban on sacrificing animals on “Bakra Eid” and the letter issued by the department only focuses on the norms to be followed while transporting animals meant for sacrifices on Eid eve. (KNO)

Srinagar: Government on Friday asked all the recruiting agencies authorities to bring the selection processes to their logical conclusion within the fixed timelines.

“Attention of recruiting agencies and indenting departments/appointing authorities is invited towards the Circular No. 38-JK(GAD) of 2020 dated 24.12.2020, wherein instructions were issued for ensuring timely processing of the Selection/Waiting lists as per the timelines prescribed in the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Decentralization & Recruitment) Rules, 2010, to avoid delay and seeking unwarranted relaxation in rules,” reads a circular issued by the government here.

Rule 14 (5) & (7) of the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services(Decentralization & Recruitment) Rules, 2010, read with SRO 533 of 2018 dated 29.11.2018, prescribe the validity of period of select list/wait list for a period of one year from the date the select list is sent to the requisitioning authority.

The rules also prescribe that the concerned Selection Committees of the Board shall also draw up a waiting list of 50% of the total number of posts advertised, which shall extend to 100% where the number of vacancies is 10 (ten) or less.

“The Selection Committees shall forward the waiting list, through the Board, to the requisitioning authority for consideration against dropout vacancies. The waiting list shall remain in force for a period of one year from the date the original selection list is sent to the requisitioning authority… ”

However, the circular noted that despite fixed timelines notified in the extant rules and various instructions issued from time to time for concluding the selection process and operating the Selection/Waiting list, it has been observed that either the recruiting agencies do not forward the waiting list along-with the selection list thereby violating the statutory provisions or the appointing authorities consume considerable time in operating upon their commendations out of the select or wait list which often results in expiry in their period of validity.

“Further, enormous time is consumed by the recruiting agencies to decide on the withheld recommendations which often denies the candidates figuring in the waiting list opportunity from being considered for appointment against such candidature,” the circular reads, adding, “Timely conclusion of the withheld recommendations assumes more significance in light of the provisions contained in SRO 60 of 2018 dated 02.02.2018 by virtue of which such cases remain alive perpetually unless decided in a time bound manner.”

The appointing authorities, on their part, are required to operate the recommendations out of the waiting list immediately upon the end of 21 days allotted as joining period for the appointees, it said. “Accordingly, it is impressed upon all the Recruiting Agencies/Appointing Authorities to adhere to the statutory provisions and bring the selection processes to their logical conclusion within the fixed timelines and refrain from recommending the cases laden with procedural delays for relaxation in the Rules which has to be done very judiciously and under extremely exceptional circumstances so as to withstand the scrutiny of law,” it said, adding, “So, in future, the administrative Departments shall recommend such cases of relaxation only after fixing the responsibility on erring officials/officers/Offices/Departments or cause of delay is due to any extra-ordinary reasons beyond the control of any authority or under extremely exceptional circumstances.” (GNS)

‘Structure demolished without serving prior notice’

Srinagar: The administration of a private hospital on Friday alleged that despite having deemed permission, the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) demolished the structure here in Gogji Bagh area of Srinagar.

Owner of Ramzan hospital said that they had approached the SMC for permission with regard to starting construction work for extension of the hospital.

However, he said for nine straight months, they didn’t get any response from the SMC, following which they approached the court where they got deemed permission for starting the construction work.

He said that all of a sudden, the men from SMC reached the hospital and demolished the structure without even considering the deemed permission as well as without serving any prior notice.

He said the people want the hospitals to come up in every locality, but such a behavior at the same time is ridiculous and appealed to the higher ups to look into the matter.

Srinagar: The Central Bureau of Investigation Friday conducted searches at nine places in Srinagar, Jammu including at the premises of two former Divisional Commissioners of Kashmir; then Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar; then Assistant Commissioner, Nazool, Srinagar and then Tehsildar, Nazool, Srinagar and the accused(private person/beneficiary) in an on-going investigation of a case.

During the searches conducted so far, incriminating documents including conferment of ownership rights, documents pertaining to several immovable properties located at Srinagar, Jammu, New Delhi; fixed deposits of more than Rs.25 lakh; cash of Rs.2 lakh (approx); keys of 6 bank lockers and a number of bank accounts have been unearthed.

“CBI had registered a case (Roshni Scam) on the directions of High Court of J&K. It was alleged that ownership rights of state land measuring around 7 Kanals 7 Marlas situated at prime location in Srinagar, were conferred arbitrarily on an ineligible applicant at a throw away price, thereby causing huge loss to the State exchequer. It was further alleged that the land category was also arbitrarily changed by the then public servants who were members of Price Fixation Committee (PFC).”