Srinagar: The District Election Officer (DEO) Srinagar Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary Monday issued a notification for a meeting of members elected to the District Development Council (DDC) Srinagar to elect the chairperson and the vice chairperson of the council as mandated under section 45-B of the Jammu & Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act 1989.

The notification issued in pursuance of sub–rule (4) of rule 108-ZN of the Jammu & Kashmir Panchayati Raj Rules 1996 states that the meeting will be held at 11 am on 6 February 2021 in the Meeting Hall of DC Office Srinagar.

Srinagar: The chilly weather conditions during the day has intensified as the mercury dipped due to overcast conditions and ice cold winds in the summer capital, Srinagar and other parts of Kashmir, where a fresh spell of snow is predicted from Tuesday.

However, barring Srinagar and tourist resort of Pahagam, the minimum temperature improved due to cloudy skies though it settled below normal across the valley.

A Met department spokesperson told UNI that light rain and snow would occur at many places under the influence of a fresh Western Disturbance (WD), which is active in the region. ‘Under the influence of this WD, which originated from the Arabian Sea, light to moderate snow would occur at most places in the valley on Wednesday,’ he said, adding the weather is expected to improve from Friday onwards.

After witnessing a dip of 1.5 degree Celsius in the night temperature from Monday, people in Srinagar woke up to a chilly and cloudy Tuesday morning. The weather remained chilly throughout the day in the city due to overcast conditions.

Against minus 3.1 degree recorded on Monday, the night temperature in Srinagar settled at minus 4.6 degree, which is about 4 degree below normal. Drivers and mechanics could be seen burning wood on roadsides to keep themselves warm in Srinagar, where water supply remained disrupted in most of the households for the past five days as taps and water bodies, including world famous Dal Lake, remained frozen.

He said the skies would be partly cloudy while light snowfall could occur during the next 24 hours in Srinagar, where the maximum and minimum temperature is expected to settle at 3 degree and minus 2 degree, respectively.

World famous tourist resort of Pahalgam was the coldest places in the valley even as the mercury dipped about 3 degree from Monday and settled at minus 9.3 degree, which is about 3 degree below normal. Besides Srinagar, Pahalgam, about 100 km from here in south Kashmir, was the second place where the mercury dipped while in rest of the places the night temperature improved.

The mercury at world famous ski resort of Gulmarg, about 55 km from here in north Kashmir, improved about a degree from Monday and settled at minus 7 degree, which is slightly above normal. The tourists at Gulmarg, which is known for its ski slopes and quality of snow, woke up to a chilly and cloudy Tuesday morning. ‘The weather remained cloudy in the resort throughout the day, resulting in chilly weather conditions. But, that tourists are out on ski slopes, enjoying different snow related activities,’ a hotelier told UNI over the phone.

The night temperature at Qazigund, gateway to the valley, Kupwara in north Kashmir and tourist resort of Kokernag improved and settled at 4.5 degree, minus 1.6 degree and minus 8.4 degree, respectively.

Srinagar: Pulse Polio Campaign 2021 was Successfully held across the UT of Jammu & Kashmir with total achievement of 1940767 Children from the age group of 0-5yrs (100% achievement).

IPPI 2021 was inaugurated by Atal Dulloo, Financial Commissioner, Health & Medical Education Department at Govt. Hospital Sarwal Jammu on 31st January 2021.

On the first day 1667763 (87%) children were covered in both activity while as 1859326 (97%) children were covered on the 2nd day House to House activity. On the 3rd and final day a total 1940767 children were covered with 100% achievement in the UT of Jammu & Kashmir.

In Kashmir Division 1049874 Children were administered Polio vaccine in most far flung and snow bound areas like Gurez, Tulail Machil, Tangdar, Keran, Karna, etc, vaccines were made available in such hard to reach areas in advance.

At Jammu Division 890893 Children were covered with 100% achievement in most far flung areas like Paddar, Dachin, Madwah, Gol etc.

Total No. of 42836 vaccinators were deployed in 10709 booths across UT of Jammu & Kashmir for Successful conduct of Pulse Polio Campaign 2021.

Srinagar: Mounds of frozen snow are adorning the city centre Lal Chowk here in Kashmir capital Srinagar. Heaps of solid snow accumulated on the sidewalks and roadsides talk a lot about the ‘failure’ of Srinagar Municipal Corporation.

No effort is being made by SMC to lift these mounds of snow. It is affecting not only pedestrian movement but business as well. The shoppers are unable to park their cars while at some place shopkeepers are finding it difficult to open up their shops.

“I want to ask Ward Officer Lal Chowk, where he is and why he doesn’t take up the matter with his bosses. During snow clearance operation, SMC workers didn’t waste any opportunity to get their photographs uploaded on social media but now they are in hibernation, bothering least to give people respite from this accumulated snow,” a shopkeeper told Kashmir News Trust.

Another shopkeeper blamed SMC workers for the present mess. “After the snowfall, SMC workers in Lal Chowk cleared snow from the roads but deposited the same on roadsides and sidewalks causing problems for both pedestrians and shopkeepers,” he said and sought intervention of Commissioner Srinagar Municipal Corporation.

“This is not a good sign for the development. The filthy mounds of solid snow are present everywhere and still you are describing Srinagar as ‘city of lights’ and ‘smart city’. Do something and get these mounds of snow lifted from the city centre,” said a pedestrian.

Both the cell phones of Commissioner SMC were switched off, however, Ward Officer Lal Chowk said that accumulated snow is very hard and thus can’t be lifted. “Another snowfall is expected. Let that happen and then we will lift everything,” he said. (KNT)

Srinagar: The University of Kashmir is in a fix whether to open the varsity with or without hostels from February 7.

Insiders said that there is a section of officials who want both hostels and University to be open from February 15, but other section feels there is no need to open up hostels for students in wake of Covid-19 pandemic.

The Cluster University and the Islamic University for Science and Technology have already issued notices stating these Universities will open up on Feb 15, however, Kashmir University had decided to open the University on Feb 1, but later on it issued a separate notice extending the vacation period till Feb 7.

Insiders told news agency KNT that over 2,000 students both male and female are residing in different University hostels while one wonders where these students will go if University won’t open up the hostels for them.

“There are students who are from far flung areas including Tulail, Gurez, Keran, Rajouri, Poonch etc. These students will face tough time if they won’t be allowed to stay at hostels,” said an insider alleging that the University of Kashmir is least bothered about the welfare of the students.

He said when hundreds of students despite Covid-19 guidelines in place can attend a coaching centre why can’t students stay in hostels.

When contacted, Dean, Academic Affairs, Mr Akbar Masoodi told KNT that a committee has been set up to take a decision in this regard. “The Committee will take a final decision tomorrow or day after tomorrow. This Committee that will decide whether hostels will be thrown open for students or not,” Masoodi said.

England: There are fears that this mutation could evade the immune system and that the vaccines currently being administered may prove less effective against these further mutating variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The highly transmissible and possibly deadlier variant of COVID-19 detected in southern England at the end of last year is showing signs of further mutation, UK scientists warned on Tuesday.

Tests conducted on samples of the Kent variant, named after the region in England where it was first detected, show a mutation, called ‘E484K’, already detected in the South Africa and Brazil variants.

There are fears that this mutation could evade the immune system and that the vaccines currently being administered may prove less effective against these further mutating variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The findings form part of yet-to-be peer-reviewed results of research at the Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease (CITIID), University of Cambridge, in collaboration with the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) COVID-19 BioResource.

“Of particular concern, though, is the emergence of the E484K mutation, which so far has only been seen in a relatively small number of individuals. Our work suggests the vaccine is likely to be less effective when dealing with this (E484K) mutation,” said Professor Ravi Gupta, the lead researcher at the CITIID.

He said that the variant is expected to continue to acquire mutations seen in the other variants of concern.

“So we need to plan for the next generation of vaccines to have modifications to account for new variants. We also need to scale up vaccines as fast and as broadly as possible to get transmission down globally,” he said.

The data, which relates to a small sample of patients, also suggests that a significant proportion of over-80 olds may not be sufficiently protected against infection until they have received their second dose of the vaccine.

“Our data suggest that a significant proportion of people aged over 80 may not have developed protective neutralising antibodies against infection three weeks after their first dose of the vaccine. But it’s reassuring to see that after two doses, serum from every individual was able to neutralise the virus,” said Dr Dami Collier, the main co-investigator on the studies.

The scientists used blood samples from 26 individuals who had received their first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine three weeks previously, to extract serum, which contains antibodies raised in response to the vaccine. The age range of the volunteers was 29 to 89 years.

The findings come as the UK is conducting urgent door-to-door surge testing in south-east England to try and trace every case of the South African variant of COVID-19, which was detected in two people within the community with no travel history connecting them to South Africa.

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said he wanted to “come down hard” on the variant by “finding every case”.

According to Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 tracker, over 106,774 people have died and more than 3.8 million people have contracted the disease in the UK.

Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Government on Tuesday informed that 44 new positive cases of novel Corona virus (12 from Jammu division and 32 from Kashmir division), have been reported thus taking the total number of positive cases in Jammu and Kashmir to 124594.

Also two deaths have been reported from Kashmir Division.

Moreover, 83 more COVID-19 patients have recovered and discharged from various hospitals including 33 from Jammu Division and 50 from Kashmir Division.

According to the daily Media Bulletin on novel Corona virus (Covid-19), out of 124594 positive cases, 668 are Active Positive, 121988 have recovered and 1938 have died; 721 in Jammu division and 1217 in Kashmir division.

The Bulletin further said that out of 4580204 test results available, 4455610 samples have been tested as negative till February 2.

Till date 1134200 persons have been enlisted for observation which included 34379 persons in home quarantine including facilities operated by government, 668 in isolation and 101506 in home surveillance.

Besides, 995709 persons have completed their surveillance period.

Srinagar: Managing Director Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation (KPDCL) Muhammad Ajaz has been asked to hold additional charge of deputy commissioner Baramulla.

He will hold the charge till Bhupender Kumar resumes duties.

Jammu: Anti-Corruption Bureau Jammu  on Tuesday  registered a case against the former Excise Commissioner on the charges of possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.
In a statement here an ACB spokesman said, “FIR No. 04/2021 was registered in Police Station ACB Jammu against Mohammad Javed Khan then Excise Commissioner.”

“The instant case was registered on the basis of a preliminary enquiry that the suspect officer has accumulated huge assets in the shape of immoveable/movable properties in his own name, in the name of his wife and other family members within J&K and outside J&K which includes immovable properties worth crores in Gurgaon, Haryana and movable properties in the shape of cars and other luxurious household items, costly electronics gadgets, jewellery etc. The value of the assets found in possession of public servant namely Mohammad Javed Khan then Excise Commissioner, J&K/ his family members and the expenditure incurred by him is grossly disproportionate to his known sources of income which constitute offences punishable u/s 5(1)(e) r/w 5(2) J&K PC Act Svt. 2006,” the spokesman said.

“During the course of investigation, search warrants were obtained from the Hon’ble Court. In compliance to the warrants issued by the Hon’ble Court, two search teams were dispatched to conduct the searches at Gurugram and Noida (NCR Delhi). House search was also conducted at the present residence of the accused Mohd Javed Khan at Bathandi, Jammu. The search teams found and seized incriminating documents relating to un-accounted for wealth/assets acquired by the accused by resorting to corrupt practices. Further investigation of the case is going on,” he added.

New Delhi: A day after the military staged a coup, Myanmar lawmakers continue to be under arrest as the incident has drawn criticism from around the world.

The incident came 10 years after Myanmar got democratic rule. Before that, the country had been under 50 long years of military rule. Monday morning was supposed to be the first session of Parliament in the country after the Aug Saan Suu Kyi-led National League for Democracy (NLD) came back to power in elections in November 2020.

It was the NLD that had won earlier elections in 2015 as well, that brought back democratic rule to the country.

A day after members of Parliament of the country were taken into custody by the military, here’s a look at what’s happening there:

LAWMAKERS STILL UNDER ARREST

While the military held hundreds of lawmakers, they are still being held in what Al-Jazeera reported as an “open-air detention centre.”

Associated Press reported that the lawmakers were confined to their government housing complex and guarded by soldiers. One of the detained lawmakers told the news agency that he and about 400 others spent a sleepless night, worried they might be taken away, but were otherwise “OK”. They were able to speak with one another inside the compound and communicate to the outside by phone, but were not allowed to leave the housing complex in Naypyitaw, the capital. He said Suu Kyi was not being held with them.

“We had to stay awake and be alert,” the lawmaker told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity out of concern for his safety. He said police were inside the complex, where members of Suu Kyi’s party and various smaller parties were being held, and soldiers were outside it.

SUU KYI’S PARTY CALLS FOR HER RELEASE

BBC reported that Suu Kyi’s party NLD said that they wanted her to be released right away and called on the military to accept the results of the November 2020 elections.

The coup comes after the opposition party, which is backed by the military, had claimed that the the elections were rigged.

On Monday, it was announced on the military-owned Myawaddy TV that Commander-in-Chief Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing would be in charge of the country for one year. Later in the day, his office announced a new Cabinet composed of current and former generals and former advisers to a previous government headed by former Gen. Thein Sein.

CITIZENS DOWNLOAD OFFLINE APP

Meanwhile, even as television signals, phone and internet access was cut off across the country’s capital Naypyitaw, reports said phone services in other parts of the country was also down.

Reuters reported offline messaging app Bridgefy as saying it was downloaded more than 600,000 times in a few hours in Myanmar, after the country’s military seized power on Monday and temporarily disrupted internet traffic.

The Mexico-based startup, which gained popularity during Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests in 2020, tweeted that it hoped people in Myanmar would find its app “useful during tough times.”

YANGON AIRPORT SHUT

Meanwhile, in the aftermath of the coup, Reuters reported that Myanmar has closed its international airport in Yangon, its main gateway.

Yangon airport manager Phone Myint told Reuters the airport had closed until May but gave no exact date. The Myanmar Times newspaper reported permission to land and take off had been revoked for all flights, including relief flights, until 23:59 of May 31.

INDIA ALERTS CITIZENS IN MYANMAR

The Indian embassy in Yangon asked citizens to take due precautions and avoid unnecessary travel, in an advisory issued following the military coup and subsequent political developments in the country. “In view of the recent developments in Myanmar, all Indian citizens are required to take due precautions and avoid unnecessary travel,” the embassy said.

BIDEN THREATENS SANCTIONS

US President Joe Biden, meanwhile, threatened new sanctions on Myanmar. He said, “The United States removed sanctions on Burma over the past decade based on progress toward democracy,” Biden said in a statement. “The reversal of that progress will necessitate an immediate review of our sanction laws and authorities, followed by appropriate action. The United States will stand up for democracy wherever it is under attack.”