Srinagar: Special DGP Crime J&K AK Choudhary Tuesday visited the premises of CBK and chaired a meeting to review the functioning of Crime Branch Kashmir (CBK).

The spokesperson said that the meeting was attended by SSP CBK Imtiaz Ismail, ASP CBK Naveed Peerzada and other officers of CBK.

The Special DG was briefed by SSP CBK about the functioning of CBK and the training and infrastructural upgradation undertaken in CBK during the last year. Also the Crime disposal data was reviewed during the review meeting, they said.

The statement further stated that the Special DG stressed the fact that Crime branch is the premier investigation agency of J&K and hence the high quality of investigation should be maintained besides expeditious disposal of complaints.

He reviewed the strength of the staff posted in CBK and the infrastructural requirements so as to meet the future investigation demands. Special DGP reiterated the importance of seeking expert opinions in investigation of cases and passed on spot directions about specialised training of the staff of CBK regarding IT related cases, which will be undertaken shortly, they said.

Special DGP also inspected the CBK premises and stressed on strict adherence to COVID-19 SOPs, reads the statement.

Jammu: A fire broke out on Tuesday at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan situated in Trikuta Hills of Katra town in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Police said that a fire broke out at the counting centre near Reception No:4 at Bhawan while the exact cause of the fire is not known.

They said that the police teams along with firefighters, Shrine Board men, forest teams and para-military troops immediately swung into action and engaged in controlling the wildfire.

“No injury or major damage was reported in the fire and it has been timely controlled and prevented from spreading to nearby complexes with the joint efforts of various agencies at the Bhawan,” they said.

In view of the surge in COVID cases, the number of pilgrims had declined but with unlock in place, the figure has started swelling.

In the first four months, more than 16 lakh pilgrims visited the Bhawan and paid obeisance at the cave shrine. (UNI)

Union Secy Road Transport & Highways assesses status of work, meets LG

Ramban: Union Secretary, Road Transport and Highways, Giridhar Aramane, Tuesday visited Banihal to assess the status of construction work on double-tube four-lane tunnel between Qazigund and Banihal which is a prominent part of Srinagar-Jammu National Highway widening project.

In this regard, Union Secretary chaired a brief meeting at Banihal and reviewed the progress on the prestigious project with a detailed assessment of all vital aspects of the construction work.

Union Secretary observed that most of the civil, mechanical and electrical works have been completed while the toll plazas on both the terminals are also ready. He said that only security gadgets are pending due to COVID-19 restrictions on flights as they are being procured from Singapore.   He assured that the mega project will be thrown open for public within weeks, which will reduce the travel distance on the highway by 16 km.

Pertinently, the construction work on the 8km tunnel cutting across the mountain range was started in 2011 by the ‘Navyug Engineering Company’ after approval by the NHAI.

According to construction agencies, the trial of various facilities inside the tunnel including ventilation set up and CCTVs installed inside the tunnel has already started and the tunnel is expected to be thrown open in coming weeks.

Chairman, National Highway Authority, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu,  Deputy Commissioner, Ramban, Mussarat-ul-Islam, SSP,   P.D.Nitya, ADC, Harbans Lal, SDM, Banihal, Zaheer Abbas besides  MD, JCM, J S Rathore, Developers Private Limited and Project Management Consultant, Qazigund- Banihal tunnel attended the meeting.

Meanwhile, Union Secretary, Road Transport and Highways, Government of India also met the Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha here at Raj Bhavan.

Union Secretary and Lt Governor held a detailed discussion on the execution of various major road and tunnel projects in the UT of J&K.

Strong road connectivity is the vital component of socio-economic development of any region. All major road/highway projects under execution in J&K shall be completed within the set timeframes to facilitate the trade and smooth movement of the public, observed the Lt Governor.

He further stressed on timely maintenance of Highway stretches, especially those with high frequency of transportation.

Dr.  Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary; Sh. Shailendra Kumar, Principal Secretary, Public Works (R&B) Department, and other concerned officials were present during the meeting.

By: Hamza Ameer

Lahore: In a shocking incident, an elderly woman died at a hospital in Lahore after a former security guard reportedly posed as a doctor and performed a surgery on her.

The incident occurred at Lahore’s Mayo Hospital where Shameema Begum, 80, lost her life on Sunday, two weeks after Muhammad Waheed Butt, a former security guard at the hospital, attempted to treat her.

After the surgery was done in Mayo Hospital, which is a public hospital, its administration blatantly ignored its responsibility, stating that it cannot keep up with what every doctor or anyone else is doing in the hospital.

“We can’t keep up with what every doctor and what everyone is doing at all times. It’s a large hospital,” said an official from the hospital administration.

Interestingly, before the surgery was performed, Begum’s family was also paying the security guard Butt for home visits to dress her wound.

However, when the wound condition worsened and the bleeding and pain increased, her family returned her to the hospital, where they discovered what had happened.

As per reports, Begum’s body has been kept for an autopsy to ascertain if her cause of death was due to complications from the botched surgery.

The police authorities have arrested the security guard and taken him into custody.

“The guard has been charged and is in police custody,” said Lahore police spokesperson Ali Safdar.

It was also revealed that Begum was not the only patient, who was paying for home visits to Butt.

“Butt had posed as a doctor and made home visits to other patients in the past also,” stated a staff member of Mayo Hospital, adding that Butt was fired two years ago for trying to extort money from patients.

Similar stories of security guards working at public hospitals posing as doctors and medical experts have also surfaced from others parts of the country, especially from the Punjab province.

In May this year, a man was arrested for posing as a doctor at Lahore’s General Hospital and extorting money from patients.

In 2016, a woman was arrested for posing to be a neurosurgeon. The woman had been conducting operations for at least eight months alongside qualified doctors at Lahore’s Services Hospital, the country’s second largest health facility. (IANS)

Jammu: An army man posted in an Army camp near the Line of Control in Akhnoor sub-division area of Jammu district was found dead with mysterious bullet injuries on Tuesday.

An official said that the Army man of Havaldar rank was posted in the army camp at Jogwan in Akhnoor, where he received bullet injury under mysterious conditions.

“The army man died following which police have started investigation into the matter,” the official said. (KNO)

By: Umaisar Gull Ganie

Kulgam: In a tragic incident, a 22-year-old youth died after he accidentally fell into the waterfall in Aharbal area of Damhal Hanjipora in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Tuesday afternoon.

An official said that a youth identified as Suhaib Ahmad Dar (22) son of Shabir Ahmad Dar of Nowgam Shangus visited Aharbal waterfall along with his friends and fell accidentally into the waterfall.

“Rescuers immediately swung into action but couldn’t save his life,” the official said.

He said the body of the deceased will be handed over to his legal heirs after completion of all legal formalities. (KNO)

Bandipora: A 16-year-old boy died after receiving an electric shock at Nesbal village of Sumbal in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district on Tuesday evening.

An official said that a boy identified as Zahid Hameed, son Abdul Hameed of Nesbal Sumbal received a high-voltage shock when he came in contact with a live-wire and died on the spot.

After completing all legal and medical formalities, the body of the deceased was handed over to his family for last rites, he said.

The official said that a case has been registered in this regard and further investigations taken up. (KNO)