Review election preparedness, security scenario in district

Bandipora, Dec 15: To review the security scenario and preparedness for ongoing polls, Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh and Inspector General of Police (IGP) IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar accompanied by DIG NKR Muhammad Suleman Chaudhary, DIG BSF Davender Singh Bisht Tuesday visited district Bandipora where they chaired a meeting with jurisdictional Police officers, officers of Army CAPF at DPL Bandipora.
In a statement a police spokesman said that Deputy Commissioner Bandipora Owais Ahmad, SSP Bandipora Rahul Malik, CO 14 RR, CO 3rd BN CRPF, DySP headquarters Bandipora and DySP PC Bandipora were also present during the meeting.
The DGP also inaugurated newly built conference Hall and GO’s mess at DPL.
SSP Bandipora gave a detailed presentation regarding the security scenario of the district and measures put in place by Bandipora police for conducting the ongoing Panchayat and DDC elections-2020 peacefully.
During the meeting with police officers, the DGP congratulated them for successful and incident free conduct of elections and directed the officers to strengthen the security grid and plug the gaps with strict security measures for the remaining phases as well.
He appreciated the role of Bandipora police and other law enforcement agencies in maintaining law and order during the elections and emphasized upon the officers to keep their morale high even after the elections.

Srinagar, Dec 15: An Anti-Corruption court special judge on Tuesday adjourned the hearing in Gulmarg land scam case for ‘lack of powers’ in north Kashmir district of Baramulla.

The first additional district and sessions judge, Baramulla, who is also the judge of the special anti-corruption court for the districts north Kashmir districts of Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora, Justice Mohammad Ashraf Khan adjourned the hearing on Tuesday for ‘lack of powers’ to try the case.

The case was adjourned since the Service Regulatory Order (SRO), which would empower him to hear cases under the anti-corruption laws as the special judge anti-corruption court in addition to his duties as the first additional district and sessions judge, has still not been issued by the Union Territory’s department of law and justice. Khan was assigned the case after Justice Naseer Ahmad Dar, who was hearing the case, was transferred.
Justice Dar had on June 11 directed the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to further investigate and file a supplementary charge sheet in the case. A case in alleged Gulmarg land scam was registered by State Vigilance Commission (now ACB) in 2009. FIR was filed against 20 people.

Precious Kashmir News
Jammu, Dec 15: Chief Secretary, B V R Subrahmanyam Tuesday chaired a meeting to review the progress of Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link Project that will connect Kashmir valley with the rest of the country through a year-round-all-weather railway link.

The meeting was informed that the project to connect Kashmir valley with a railway line is progressing as per its schedule. Currently, the executing agency has fully utilized the extraction potential of sand and aggregate material in the allocated mines under its Short Term Permit – the supply of which needs augmentation from other mines.

The Chief Secretary said that the Mining Department has recently streamlined the process of lease of mines in J&K and consequently, the supply of construction material will improve in the coming weeks.

Further, to ensure the uninterrupted supply of construction material, the Mining Department and Deputy Commissioners were asked to regularly monitor the extraction from leased mines, besides, resolving the bottlenecks in a time-bound manner.

Regarding the land requirement for the project, it was informed that 99% of the land has been acquired/ handed over to the executing agency and the civil works are advancing smoothly. Deputy Commissioners were asked to resolve all pending issues by 15.01.2021.

Other issues regarding the launch of Vistadome by Northern Railways, introducing shuttle services between Banihal and Udhampur and running of local passenger trains between Katra and Kathua were also discussed.

The Chief Secretary also appreciated the prompt response of Northern Railways during COVID-19 lockdown and their joint efforts with the Government of J&K in providing smooth and hassle-free travel to labour/workforce through the special ‘Shramik’ trains.

Administrative Secretaries of departments of Revenue, Power Development, Mining, and Transport, besides General Manager, Northern Railways, and representatives from IRCON participated in the meeting.

Baby girl suffers brain damage due to Anesthesia overdose
Srinagar, Dec 15: A Srinagar family Tuesday staged a protest here accusing a private hospital of damaging the brain of a 14 month old baby after administering her overdose of anesthesia.
The baby girl Zikra Farooq Bhat of Aali Kadal Srinagar was admitted at the ASG Eye Hospital at Qamarwari here.
The family members carrying placards sought justice and action against the hospital authorities.
The parents of the victim bay girl told Kashmir News Trust that their daughter was suffering from an eye disease.
In this regard she was taken to A.S.G Eye Hospital wherein one Dr Aadil and Dr. Ahsan-ul-Haq persuaded the parents to get their daughter injected (in or near the eye). On the fateful day (29 April, 2019) the doctors after persuading the family administered anesthesia to the baby girl and the overdose of it rendered the baby unconscious. The doctors had assured the parents that the injection and all the related procedures will take no more than 10 minutes but it took them an hour. As the baby was handed over to her mother, she immediately sensed something grossly wrong with her daughter. The doctors denied any fault on their part.
As a result, the parents rushed her to SKIMS wherein she was immediately admitted to the ICU. If all this wasn’t enough for the distressed family, they were compelled to take the patient (baby girl) to Chandigarh, a representative from ASG Hospital Srinagar was also with them, and here the doctors reprimanded the representative from ASG Srinagar for gross negligence.
The girl has still not recovered and is suffering from brain-palsy. The parents of the girl have utilized enormous amount of their wealth for the treatment of the child.
“We strongly demand a probe into the incident and ask the authorities to take action against ‘doctors’ who are still adamant at are not accepting there mistake. We demand a probe in this case, and whoever is found guilty should be punished accordingly.”

Srinagar, Dec 15: Jammu and Kashmir government on Tuesday formed a High Power Vigilance and Monitoring Committee for overseeing implementation of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 in the J&K.
Headed by Lieutenant Governor, the Committee, as per an order, a copy of which lies with GNS, shall meet at least twice in a calendar year in the month of January and July.
The other members of the committee include parliament members, assembly members belonging to the SC/ST , Advisor incharge, Social Welfare Department, Chief Secretary, Financial Commissioner, Finance Department, Principal Secretary ,Home Department, Director General of Police, Principal Secretary , Social Welfare Department and Director/Deputy Director, National Commission.
The committee has been also tasked with to review the implementation of the provisions of the Act, relief & rehabilitation facilities provided to the victims and other matters connected therewith, prosecution of cases under the Act, role of different officers and agencies responsible for implementing the provisions of the Act besides various reports received by the Government.

Srinagar, Dec 15: The Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Tuesday said the circular issued by Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs regarding automatic expiry of stay orders within six months is “smack of undermining the dignity of the Court in the eyes of general public.”
Hearing a petition filed by some aggrieved persons working in higher education department, a bench of Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey also stayed the operation of the circular of the law department as well as a communication issued by Director Colleges, Higher Education Department, on December 1 as regards the petitioners.
“Having heard Jahangir Iqbal Ganai, the Senior Counsel representing the petitioners, and upon a conjoint reading of the circular dated 25th of November, 2020 issued by the Secretary to Government, Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs; communication dated 1st of December, 2020, issued by Director Colleges, Higher Education Department; and the directions passed by the Apex Court of the country, the Court is, prima facie, satisfied that both the Law Secretary as well as the Director Colleges have not only overreached their authority, but their actions, besides being contemptuous in nature, also smack of undermining the dignity of the Court in the eyes of general public,” the court said as per GNS, adding, “This is so because the Hon’ble Supreme Court, seemingly, has laid down guidelines with regard to pending cases where stay against proceedings of a civil or criminal trial is operating and not relating to all stay orders, passed in exercise of original jurisdiction under Articles 226 and 227 of the Constitution, as interpreted by the Law Secretary in the circular dated 25th of November, 2020.”
Meanwhile, the court directed Law Secretary as well as the Director Colleges to file the statement of facts and response to the petition by December 23.
“Meanwhile, the operation of Circular No. 07-JK(LD) of 2020 dated 25th of November, 2020 and communication No. DC-JE/Circular/2020 dated 1st of December, 2020 shall stay qua the case of the petitioners herein.”
Further, the court ordered that the Director Colleges shall also remain personally present before the Court on the next date of hearing to explain his position. (GNS)

Precious Kashmir News
Srinagar, Dec 15: Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Tuesday ordered that courts will continue to function through virtual mode till December 24.

In an order, Registrar General J&K High Court, Jawad Ahmed, said: “After taking feedback with regard to the prevailing situation due to the spread of COVID-19 infection and also the latest SOPs and Guidelines of the Government in vogue, by virtue of the Full Court Resolution dated 31.05.2020, the High Court Order No. 456/GS dated 12.10.2020, read with Order No. 529 dated 02.11.2020 is extended up to 24th December, 2020.”.

Ishtiyaq Ahmad

Srinagar Dec 15: People associated with handicrafts in Kashmir are struggling to feed their families due to subsequent lockdowns since August 5 last year.

Kashmir remained shut for months after abrogation of Article 370 in August last year and now COVID-19.

Amid this, at least 3 lakh people associated with handicrafts including carpets, papier-machie, shawls, wood carving are finding it difficult to feed their families. Kashmir’s handicrafts are famous across the world due to quality and are manmade.

Ghulam Mohammad, 45, a resident of North Kashmir’s Baramulla district has been selling vegetables on a footpath for the last several months.

“All the money I had saved which I earned through carpet weaving has been exhausted. It is over a year now, we are making no earnings through carpet weaving and now selling vegetables,” he told news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS). Before August 5 last year, he would earn Rs 600 per day. He had two more people who were assisting him in carpet weaving.

There are so many artisans who have taken up odd jobs to manage the expenses of their families during the COVID.

“We were making earnings even during the worst times. But this time, our business is shut as we are not able to export carpets in international markets,” said Bashir Ahmad, a carpet dealer.

Gulf and European countries form a major customer base for Kashmiri carpet dealers.

They have suffered huge losses as they could not export the goods.

Mohammad Subhan, a papier-machie artist from Srinagar is sitting idle since the COVID-19 began in March.

“We have been badly hit first by lockdown post abrogation of Article 370 and now COVID-19 pandemic. There is no availability of raw material. There is hardly any productivity and sales,” he added.

The Kashmiri craft of papier-machie mainly uses wood, leftover wood pulp and paper waste.

Every year Subhan would participate in various artisan fairs across India like in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Gujarat.

However, this year, these fairs were not organized due to COVID-19.

In Bandipora’s Gada Khad village over 500 people associated with handicrafts are doing menial jobs to sustain their families.

An official said 3 lakh people associated with handicrafts are in bad shape.

He said presently there is no business in the handicrafts sector. (KINS)