Ishtiyaq Ahmad
Srinagar Nov 19: After receiving season’s first snowfall, tourists and locals have been thronging to picturesque Gulmarg.
For three days between last Saturday and Monday, the upper reaches received moderate to heavy snowfall while plans received rainfall resulting in drop in temperatures in the valley.
Famous tourist destination Gulmarg in Baramulla district, which recorded almost 2 feet of snowfall since Saturday, has come to life as tourists and locals have started thronging this popular ski-resort. People are seen enjoying snow and taking pictures and some doing snow skiing.
“When we got to know that Kashmir will receive snowfall from November 14, we made a plan and arrived here to celebrate Diwali at Gulmarg amid snowfall,” said Arjun Manish Gupta, a resident of Mumbai, who arrived here last Friday.
“Tourism has been badly hit since August 5 last year. As parts of Kashmir including Gulmarg received snow, we are expecting a good number of tourists will visit here,” a hotel owner at Gulmarg said.
A senior official of Tourism Department said the snowfall was an encouraging sign for tourism. “If Gulmarg receives some more snow in coming days, then winter sports will be started very soon there,” he said, adding snow carnival and other recreational events are lined-up in Gulmarg, Pahalgam to boost tourism in Kashmir.
Similarly, tourists are also enjoying gondola ride in snow-draped Gulmarg.
With the receiving of snowfall, authorities have decided to organize events under various disciplines including snowboarding, skiing, snow show, snow cycling and other games at Gulmarg in coming weeks.
At the same time, the snowfall has also brought miseries for some masses
. Authorities have issued advisory of snow avalanche for various parts of Kashmir and asked to remain alert. On Wednesday one army man died and two soldiers also got injured due to a snow avalanche in Tangdhar area of North Kashmir.
The recent snowfall also led to closure of Srinagar-Jammu Highway, which has been thrown open now. The Highway is the only link road connecting Kashmir with the rest of the country.
“It takes over 10 days trucks laden with apple and other items to reach various fruit mandis like New Delhi from Srinagar. Whenever highway gets closed, we are not able to export our goods resulting fruits perish in Kashmir,” said Ali Mohammad, a fruit dealer from South Kashmir’s Shopian district.
Director Meteorological Department Sonam Lotus said Kashmir would receive another wet spell from tomorrow.
He said last year Kashmir received snowfall in November highest in six decades. “So far we have received good snowfall this season but it will be premature to say if valley receives more snowfall than two previous years,” he told news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS).

Precious Kashmir News
Srinagar, Nov 19: The Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Thursday produced charge-sheet in a court against then Executive Engineer (EE) Roads and Buildings (R&B) Division Bandipora in a bribery case.
A spokesman of the ACB said Thursday evening that charge-sheet was produced in the court of Special Judge Anti Corruption Baramulla against then EE R&B Bandipora Abdul Aziz Bhat in case of the Prevention of Corruption Act Samvat 2006 of Police Station ACB Kashmir against the accused.
He said a case was registered on the basis of a written complaint lodged in Police Station Anti Corruption Bureau wherein it was alleged that the complainant has executed and completed the works of R&B Division, Bandipora.
But Bhat was not releasing the payments.
The complainant requested him several times, but the EE did not release the payment of Rs5,18,089 without bribe. Finally the EE demanded a bribe of Rs 20,000 for release of the payment.
After registration of the case, a trap team was constituted and the services of independent witness were utilized.
He said on April 26, 2019, the accused EE was arrested red handed while demanding and accepting an amount of Rs 20,000 money from the complainant.
The Investigation of the case was concluded as proved against the aforementioned accused public servant for launching prosecution and the chargesheet was produced in the court of law, he said adding the next date of hearing has been fixed on December 26, 2020.

Precious Kashmir News
Srinagar, Nov 19: High Court has granted government four weeks more time to file response to a Public Interest Litigation, seeking issuance of the appropriate guidelines for admission of Children with Special Needs (CWSN) under Right To Education Act.
A division bench of Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Puneet Gupta granted the time after NH Shah, Sr. AAG, representing the authorities, sought further time to file the reply.
“Let him file the same within four weeks,” the court said adding, “Rest of the respondents who have not filed the reply shall also file the same within the aforesaid period.”
The PIL also seeks directions from the court to ensure the admission, attendance and free education of Children with bench mark disability free from cost and any other barriers preventing them from getting quality education in the Recognized unaided private schools of Jammu and Kashmir.
The PIL has been filed by three persons, two of whom— Zaheer Abbas Jan of Bemina and Mudasir Shaban Dar of Bandipora— have stated that they are two social workers while another— Dr. Chitanjeet Kour of Nanak Nagar Jammu, a physiotherapist doctor by profession.
The petitioners said that Indian Parliament amended part 4 of the Constitution of India and incorporated Article 21 A, a new article in the constitution to incorporate Right to Education of a child between 6 to 14 years as their fundamental right. They said that a duty was imposed on the appropriate government to protect their fundamental right.
In 2009, they said, the Indian parliament enacted the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, a follow up legislation for implementing the provision of Article 21A of the Constitution of India.
The special provision for the EWS/DG/CWSN children, they said, has been incorporated in the Act itself to address the practical difficulty. (GNS)