Precious Kashmir News
Srinagar, Dec 24: Jammu and Kashmir High Court Judge, Chairman Juvenile Justice Committee (JJC) High Court of J&K and Member National Legal Services Authority of India, Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey Thursday stressed for revival of value based system in our society to prevent our children from getting into the substance abuse.
He said this during one day awareness programme on Drug de-addiction, legal literacy through schools and Women and Child rights organised as per the plan of action formulated by the National Legal Services Authority (NLSA) of India and under the directions and guidance of Justice Magrey by Directorate of School Education Kashmir at Girls Higher Secondary School Kothibagh here.
Justice Magrey was the Chief Guest on the occasion while Secretary Juvenile Justice Committee and Principal District and Sessions Judge Abdul Rashid Malik, Director School Education Kashmir, M Younis Malik, S.P City (East) Sheema Nabi Qasba, Associate Professor Psychiatry, SKIMS Medical College Bemina Dr Majid, Panel lawyer Advocate Bisma Khan were present on the occasion.
The Chairman JJC said that despite Kashmir being a place of saints and sufis why our children have engaged into drug abuse and one of the main reasons for it is turning back to the values that we would have inherited from our elders.

Stressing for revival of value based systems in our society, he said revival of values among ourselves is the sole remedy that can prevent our societal setup from further degradation which include drug addiction among youth, exploitation of women and children besides other social evils.

Divulging into the details, Justice Magrey said that our mission is that our children which are our future should be saved from drug abuse and for this we have organised awareness programme starting from education department itself with the reason that after parents, children receive education from schools and teachers play an important role in molding their future.

He called the teachers important pillars of the system and told them that their strength, dedication, commitment, loyalty, discipline will shape their future and complimented them that they are already in the process but more is required.

Stressing for making positive use of technology, Justice Magrey said that our students should make productive use of social media to the extent for making one a great scientist, famous doctor, educationist, bureaucrats and academicians who have earned name and fame in the world besides taking support from teachers, talented people around them rather than feeling shy.

He said the constitution has given rights to children, it has guaranteed rights of women equally to men and it has given strength to the system to save children from drug abuse. There are laws but implementation is wanted and legal literacy is an important aspect of it.

Justice Magrey said that Legal literacy is important for our children as they don’t know their rights, rights of women, fundamental rights of the citizens, and the only objective of keeping these legal literacy clubs in educational institutions is that our experts will teach them there and these children will decimate the same among others.

To curb this menace, Chairman JJC said that law enforcing agencies can get together and prevent our children from getting into drug abuse as they did in other cases.

Meanwhile, the inaugural address was presented by Director School Education, M Younis Malik. He termed the model societies as a turning point for shaping the future of our students.

Secretary Juvenile Justice Committee and Principal District and Sessions Judge Abdul Rashid Malik, S.P City (East) Sheema Nabi Qasba, Associate Professor Psychiatry, SKIMS Medical College Bemina Dr Majid, Panel lawyer Advocate Bisma Khan also presented their valuable comments during the proceedings of the programme.

On the occasion the students of the GHSS Kothibagh presented a Skit on drug addiction.

Principal GHSS Kothibagh, Prof Nusrat Bukhari presented vote of thanks to the guest for their august presence.

Among others, Dy. CEOs, Principals, HeadMasters, Headmistresses, students participated in the programme—(KNO)

Srinagar, Dec 24: The government on Thursday constituted a five-member committee for instituting best teacher award in schools, colleges and universities in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

In an order the government accorded sanction to constitute the 5-member committee for instituting the best teacher award across Jammu and Kashmir.
“Sanction is hereby accorded to the constitution of a Committee for examining the proposal regarding instituting Best Teacher Awards for Teachers/teaching faculty in Schools/Colleges/Universities in the UT of J&K,” the order states.
As per the order, Principal Secretary to the Government Housing and Urban Development Department, Principal Secretary to Lieutenant Governor, Administrative Secretary to the Government, School Education Department and Commissioner Secretary to the Government, Higher Education Department shall be its members while Principal Secretary to the Government, Information Department shall be its member convenor.
The committee has been asked to submit its final views and recommendations by or before 15 January.

Srinagar, Dec 24: As Kashmir is expecting a wet spell on December 27 and 28, the overnight temperature rose slightly across the Valley, officials said on Thursday.

A MeT official told GNS that mercury settled in Srinagar at minus 3.8 °C against minus 5.0 °C on previous night. While the mercury increased by more than a degree, it was below two degrees Celsius for this time of the year in Srinagar, where people endured second coldest night at minus 6.6 °C in a decade on last Saturday.

The temperature also remained below or equal to normal overnight in other parts of the Valley with Gulmarg, the world famous skiing resort recording a low of minus 5.6 °C. The minimum temperature is normal for Gulmarg for this time of the year and as per the MeT department moderate snow is expected there on December 27 followed by a light spell on the next day. Pahalgam, the famous tourist destination in south Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 5.2 °C. Qazigund recorded minus 3.4 °C (a degree below the normal), Kupwara minus 3.8 °C (one degree below normal) and Kokernag minus 3.0 °C (one degree below normal).

Kashmir is in the middle Chillai-Kalan, the 40-day winter period which commenced on December 21 and ends on January 31. The period is considered the harshest of the winter when the chances of snowfall are most frequent and maximum.

The cold wave, however, continues even after that in Kashmir with a 20-day-long ‘Chillai-Khurd’ (small cold) and a 10-day-long ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold).

The weatherman has forecast mainly dry weather over Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh for next two days till December 27.

“The weather is going be dry in next 24 hours,” the MeT official said. While snowfall is expected, mainly on upper reaches, on December 27, the forecast for Srinagar has one or two spells of rain or thundershowers store on the day (Sunday).

Due to harsh weather conditions, people are facing a lot of problems. The water supply has been disrupted with frozen taps becoming a common sight now. The frequent power cuts, scheduled or unscheduled, only amplify the cold and add to the discomfort of the people. Some portions of the Dal Lake were also frozen due to the cold wave.

Precious Kashmir News
Srinagar, Dec 24: The Army on Thursday said that the process of summary of evidence has been completed with regard to the July 18, 2019, Amshipora, Shopian fake encounter in which three labourers were killed.
In a statement Army’s Srinagar based spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia said: “The process of recording the summary of evidence has been completed. The same is being examined by the concerned authorities in consultation with legal advisors for proceeding further.”

Colonel Kalia said that the army is committed to the ethical conduct of operations. “Further details will be shared in a manner so as not to prejudice the proceedings under army law,” he said.
On July 18, this year, three labourers after being labelled as militants were killed in a fake encounter at Amshipora, Shopian.

Precious Kashmir News
Srinagar, Dec 24: The Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Thursday produced charge-sheet against the then Chief Engineer (CE) of Urban Environmental Engineering Department (UEED) Mohammad Hanif Lone and others in disproportionate assets case.
A spokesman of the ACB said this evening that bureau produced charge-sheet in case FIR Number 29/2018 Under Section 5(1)(e) r/w 5(2) J&K Prevention of Corruption Act & 109 RPC against Lone for possession of assets disproportionate to his known sources of income and against his wife and sister-in-law for abetment of offences in the Court of Special Judge Anti Corruption Srinagar.
He said during investigation, accused Chief Engineer was found in the possession of immovable properties, including one double storey house on one kanal of land at Wanbal Rawalpora Srinagar, one double storey house on one kanal and three malras of land at Naz Colony Bandipora, one double storey house on one kanal 13 marla land at Khandyal Gurez, one flat in Tawi Apartments at Sidhra Jammu,one flat in Royal Apartments at Talab Tillo Jammu,one flat in Gulposh Apartments at Bemina Srinagar, one three storey shopping structure at Bandipora Town, three kanals of land at Mujgund Srinagar.
Spokesman said the accused Chief Engineer was also found to have accumulated huge movable assets including seven personal cars, bank balance of Rs 2.18 crore, Cash of Rs 6,58,000, foreign currency, LIC Policies, Metlife Policies and Mutual funds.
He said investigation established that value of assets possessed by accused Chief Engineer Lone is hugely disproportionate (129 per cent) to the income received by him from all sources, which constitutes an offence of criminal misconduct u/s 5(1)(e) r/w 5(2) J&K Prevention of Corruption Act Svt 2006 against him.
He said investigation also revealed that Wife and Sister-in-Law of accused Chief Engineer have facilitated him in raising the assets from money earned through corrupt practices by allowing to invest clandestinely in different properties in their names, which tantamount to the offence of abetment u/s 109 RPC r/w J&K 5(2) J&K Prevention of Corruption Act Svt 2006 against them.
The spokesman said all the three accused were produced in Anti Corruption Court Srinagar and charge-sheet was filed against them, after Government accorded sanction for prosecution.
He said next date of hearing has been fixed on March Ist, 2021.

Umaisar Gull Ganie
Srinagar, Dec 24: Three Kashmiri unsung heroes over the years have been helping thousands of Kashmiris living outside the Valley.
In times of distress like in 2014 floods, 2019 lockdown, and now in Covid pandemic, the trio has come to rescue for many people stranded outside Kashmir.
Dr Owais Qasim Mir, a Qazigund resident who is working as a Dental surgeon, Dr Mohammad Rafiq, a Soura Srinagar resident who is a junior scientist in Chennai and Shakir Hussain Bhat, a young businessman settled in Rohtak Haryana have facilitated many Kashmiris looking for help in different parts of India.
“During 2014 floods when Kashmir living outside the valley were very much distressed, so we used social media to connect with people who need help. And in no time, we started receiving calls from students who had to pay their semester fee, labourers who were stranded on the way home, and patients for treatment,” Mir said.
He said in the initial days of their philanthropic work, they spent their all saving even remaining without food for days to help others.
“Later we came up with the idea of Kashmir helpline 24/7,” he said. “The news of starting this platform spread like fire and many people start offering to pay students fee, rent etc.”
Shakir Hussain Bhat said that once they received a call from Nagpur where some Kashmiri students were forced to vacate the rented room and they had found shelter in a mosque.
“Somehow I managed to book their tickets and we transferred some cash to them. After, that incident we started receiving around 200 such calls every day,” he said, adding that people also then join hands to help them.
To streamline the things, Rafiq collected the information of all the people and registered them as volunteers who were ready to extend help.
“I can recall when we received a call from a group of girls who required money to get their friend admitted to a hospital in UP. The patient required Rs 2 lakh for treatment so Dr Owais sold his new bike, while Dr Shakir donated my his salary,” Bhat said.
During the communication blockade following the abrogation of Article-370, the trio helped thousands of people to get in touch with their loved ones via landline phones besides providing them financial help.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have donated masks, PPE kits, and medicines at various hospitals, in villages, and in quarantine centers throughout Jammu and Kashmir,” Bhat said.
“During these days the workload for such activities is not that much as we are just moderating the connections between the donors and the volunteers,” he said, adding that we are also ready for any such kind of disaster in the future—(KNO)

Ferries passengers from Kathua to Jammu

Jammu, Dec 24: Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday got its first woman bus driver, who ferried passengers from Kathua to Jammu here in a private bus.
Pooja Devi, a resident of remote belt of tehsil Basohli in Kathua district, on Thursday drove a private bus from Kathua to Jammu with passengers on board.
Speaking to reporters here, Pooja said that she was passionate of cars and buses since her teen days and had a dream of driving.
“No a day, women are flying jet fighters and I wanted to break this of taboo that only men can drive passenger buses,” she expressed.
She said that she started with tempo vehicle and then drove mini bus.
The owner of the bus gave opportunity to her with confidence and faith in her, she added and said,”I loved this profession and have been fully supported by male colleagues.”

Precious Kashmir News
Leh, Dec 24: Police in the Union Territory of Ladakh Thursday said it arrested a sitting councilor of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh under a cybercrime.
In a statement, District Police Leh said that it has arrested a sitting Councilor of LAHDC Leh in connection with Cyber Crime who was granted bail by court today.
The statement said that working out the complaint lodged by a lady that a mischievous person is making her fake profiles on various social media accounts and transmitting obscene words and pictures and sharing her phone number all around. “On which instant case FIR No.121 /2020”, the statement said.
It said that under section 67-A, 66-C IT Act was registered at Police Station Leh, and an investigation was taken up.
During the investigation, the accused was tracked down through technical surveillance & investigation, He was arrested on 23-12-2020 and kept in Police lock-up, the statement said.
It further said that the accused is currently granted bail by the Court today—(KNO)