Srinagar, Aug 17: Public transport was on Monday resumed after remaining off the roads since March 18 due to COVID-19 in central Kashmir district of Srinagar, where 129 fresh positive cases were reported.
Private transport besides some three wheelers and cabs were plying on different routes for the past over a month despite lock down and other restrictions. However, several hundred vehicles were challaned or seized for violating lock down restrictions and other Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
Passenger vehicles, besides mini buses, sumos, cabs and three wheelers hit the roads since early this morning after remaining parked for about five months due to restrictions and lock down imposed by the administration to present spread of coronavirus.
Many areas witnessed huge rush of vehicles, leading to traffic jam in the downtown and uptown. Traffic police personnel who were enjoying the lock down because of no traffic were on their toes regulating traffic movement.
Though the number of COVID-19 cases continue to witness daily increase, administration finally decided to allow public transport with some SOPs and other instructions.

The District Magistrate (DM), Srinagar Shahid Choudhary issued an order pursuant to the State Executive Committee order dated August 4, 2020 permitting resumption of public transport operation from August 17.
He said public transport operations with a boarding of 50 per cent passengers in minibuses and up to a maximum of four passengers in 10-seater maxi-cabs and two passengers in taxicabs and auto-rickshaws would be allowed.
The instructions for resumption of public transport service include a plan for the number of vehicles which would be allowed to operate on designated routes in the district. To reduce footprint, not more than a third of the total number of vehicles would be allowed to operate on a route. There were around 80 designated public transport routes in Srinagar, he said.
The transport sector suffered losses worth crores of rupees due to lock down as thousands of persons directly or indirectly associated with the sector, including driver, conductors and mechanics were rendered jobless.

Precious Kashmir News
Srinagar, Aug 17: Lieutenant Governor (LG), Manoj Sinha Monday directed for follow up of action under Back to Village (B2V) programme in the Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir.
Taking cue from the overwhelming public response, he directed for third phase of the ambitious Back to Village programme, which is likely to be held in the month of October.
He observed that public is the ultimate judge of the quality of works executed, and asked the officers to make sure that the rational demands projected by them during the first phase of B2V programme are reasonably fulfilled before launching the next phase of the programme.
The Lt Governor was reviewing the implementation of works under Back to Village programme at Raj Bhavan.
Sinha called for strengthening rural road connectivity for the socio-economic development of the villages of J&K. He stressed on expediting rural road connectivity and piped drinking water for all villages, as roads, power and drinking water are the basic requisites for the holistic development of any area. Work aggressively to connect every village that fulfils the norms of PMGSY, he added.
The Lt Governor asked the Secretary, Jal Shakti Department to direct all his energy towards achieving the target of providing 100 per cent piped water under Jal Jeevan Mission by March 2022.
The Lt Governor directed the Secretary, Rural Development Department to prepare inventories and database of equipments and facilities in village Panchayats, besides updating B2V works on the web portal for the information of the public.
“Identify most backward blocks for their development on the lines of Aspirational Districts”, he added, asserting that development in true sense would be ensured only if we are able to develop these backward areas.
The Lt Governor called for 100% saturation of Centrally Sponsored Schemes for the benefit of larger population and directed for establishment of playgrounds in every Panchayat under convergence mode. He also stressed on aggressive vaccination and immunization of livestock, as J&K is lagging behind on this front.
He also reviewed the preparations for the constitution of District Development and Planning Boards.
While taking a detailed assessment of the works executed under B2V programme, the Lt Governor was informed that a total of 4097 works have been completed at a cost of Rs 81 cr and around 1,405 works costing Rs 51 cr are in progress.
Further, an amount of Rs 1400 cr has been released to the Panchayats under 14th Finance Commission.
The chair was informed that the first ever exercise in the form of B2V was conducted by the Government towards participatory planning of developmental works identified by the public with an aim to strengthen and facilitate the Panchayats and bridge the gap between Administration and the public.

Aatif Qayoom
Srinagar, Aug 17: Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Zone, Vijay Kumar Monday clarified that Panchs, Sarpanchs and BDCs have not been taken into custody but kept at safer places till suitable arrangements are made for them.
It’s in place to mention here that authorities have kept large number of BJP workers mostly Panchs, Sarpanchs and BDCs at safer places soon after they came under frequent militant attacks especially in parts of south Kashmir.
Sources said due to unabated militants strikes reported in parts of Valley on elected Panchayat members, especially in south Kashmir’s Kulgam, Anantnag, Shopian and Pulwama districts, authorities had decided to shift them to safer places till Independence Day celebrations pass off peacefully. However authorities didn’t allow them to go to their native places despite culmination of August 15 celebrations.
“Several Panchs, Sarpanchs and BDCs after failing to persuade authorities to allow them to walk to their homes freely, staged protest on Sunday against the administration and demanded to allow them to go to their respective homes”, sources told KNS.
However due to threat of militant strikes on Panchayat members in Valley authorities seems unwilling to allow them to walk to their homes.
Meanwhile IGP Vijay Kumar refuted the reports of their detention and said they have been kept at safer places as a “precautionary measure”.
“The news reports about the detention of Panchs, Sarpanchs and BDCs are unfounded. They have been kept at safer places as a precautionary measure as elected Panchayat members are on the radar of militants from several months”, IGP said.
He added the arrangements of their foolproof security are underway and accordingly they will be allowed to walk home. (KNS)

New Delhi, Aug 17:  The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a plea seeking postponement of JEE (Main) April 2020 and NEET-Undergraduate examinations, which are scheduled to be conducted in September, amid spurt in number of COVID-19 cases, saying precious year of students “cannot be wasted” and life has to go on.

A three-judge bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra said career of students “cannot be put under jeopardy for long”.

“Life has to go on. Life has to move ahead. Precious year of students cannot be wasted,” the bench, also comprising Justices B R Gavai and Krishna Murari, said during the hearing conducted through video conferencing while paving the way for commencement of the exams as scheduled.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the apex court that due precautions and all safeguards would be taken while conducting these examinations.

The counsel appearing for the petitioners told the bench that lakhs of students are looking towards the top court for relief and they were only seeking postponement of these exams.

The plea, filed by 11 students belonging to 11 states, had sought quashing of the July 3 notices issued by the National Testing Agency (NTA), by which it was decided to conduct the Joint Entrance Examination (Main) April 2020 and National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET)-Undergraduate exams in September.

As per the public notices issued by NTA, JEE (Main) April 2020 is scheduled from September 1-6, while NEET UG 2020 exam is scheduled for September 13.

The plea, filed through advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava, had referred to COVID-19 pandemic and said authorities be directed to conduct these exams only after normalcy is restored.

The plea had also sought direction to the authorities to increase the number of examination centres.

“Conducting the aforesaid examination across India at such perilous time, is nothing else but putting lives of lakhs of young students (including petitioners herein) at utmost risk and danger of disease and death. The best recourse at this stage can be to wait for some more time, let COVID-19 crisis subside and then only conduct these exams, in order to save lives of the students and their parents,” the plea had said.

It had claimed that NTA, which conducts entrance exams for admission in higher educational institutions in India, has decided to conduct JEE (Main) April-2020 through online mode and NEET UG-2020 exams through offline mode at 161 centres across the country.

It had alleged that NTA has indefinitely postponed the National Council of Hotel Management Joint Entrance Examination-2020, which was scheduled to be conducted on June 22, in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The plea had also alleged that authorities concerned have ignored the plight of lakhs of students from Bihar, Assam and north eastern states, which are presently reeling under flood, and conducting either online or offline exams in such places may not be possible. (Agencies)

 Faizan Wani

Srinagar, Aug 17: For the first time in nearly four decades, Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, recorded hottest day in August at 35.7 degree Celsius on Monday.

Earlier, the hottest day in this month was recorded on August 07 at 35.4 degree Celsius.

The official spokesman said that Srinagar recorded 35.7 degrees Celsius temperature today, thus surpassing the previous records of 39 years.

As per the figures available, the hottest day in Srinagar in the month of August was recorded on August 01, 1946 at 36.7 degrees Celsius.

The hottest day in the month of August after four decades was recorded amid deficit rainfall in Jammu and Kashmir.

Besides, Kokernag in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district and north Kashmir’s Kupwara district also recorded the highest temperature today.

As per the officials at the local Meteorological department, Kupwara district recorded the highest temperature at 36.7 degree Celsius today, which is the highest recorded since 1993.

They added that in Kokernag, 32.0 degree Celsius temperature was recorded today which is the highest since 1991.

“Weather remained dry across Kashmir & Ladakh for most days of August due to absence of any favorable rain giving weather system. This prolonged dry weather led to sharp increase in day temperature across Kashmir and Ladakh during the last few days. Today, Srinagar, Kupwara and Kokernag recorded the highest maximum temperature of a particular day in the month of August breaking previous records of over 3 decades,” the spokesman of MeT said.

The official spokesman stated that there was no forecast of any major rainfall activity for next three days. However, he stated that scattered rain is expected around 20-21st August.

He further stated that except some districts of plains of Jammu region, all the districts of Jammu and Kashmir received deficit rainfall during this Monsoon season (June -17th Aug 2020). KNO

Umaiser Gul
Kulgam, Aug 17: A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) man was injured after militants attacked the CRPF men outside their camp at Nehama area of South Kashmir’s Kulgam district, officials said.
Assistant Commandant and CRPF spokesman for (operations) in Kashmir, Junaid Khan told KNO that the militants appeared near the CRPF camp in Nehama this evening. “The militants fired upon the CRPF men who were outside the camp in which one CRPF man was injured,” he said.
He said the injured CRPF man was shifted to the hospital where his condition is stable.

Meanwhile, officials identified the injured CRPF man as S. Sukumar of A/18 BN, saying that the CRPF man has received bullet injury in his foot.
He said that entire area has been cordoned off and a massive search operation launched to nab the attackers.

Beijing, Aug 17: China on Monday said it is ready to work with India to enhance political mutual trust, properly manage their differences and safeguard the long-term development of bilateral ties.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said this at a regular briefing when a Western media journalist sought China’s reaction to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks that the Indian armed forces have given a befitting reply to those challenging the country’s sovereignty.

Responding to the question, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao said that “we have noted Prime Minister Modi’s speech.”
“We are close neighbours, we are emerging countries with over one billion people. So, the sound development of bilateral ties not only serves the interest of the two peoples but also stability, peace, prosperity of the region and the whole world,” he said.
“The right path for the two sides is to respect and support each other as this serves our long-term interests,” Zhao said.
“So, China stands ready to work with India to enhance our political mutual trust, properly manage our differences, step-up practical cooperation and safeguard the long-term development of bilateral ties,” the spokesman added.
In his speech, Prime Minister Modi also said that “whether it is terrorism or expansionism, India is fighting both with determination.” (Agencies)

New Delhi, Aug 17; Gujarat cadre IPS officer Rakesh Asthana has been appointed as the chief of the Border Security Force (BSF) and V S K Kaumudi will be Special Secretary (Internal Security) in the Home Ministry, according to a Personnel Ministry order issued on Monday.
Asthana is at present working as the Director-General at Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS).
He has been appointed the Director General (DG) of Border Security Force from the date of joining the post and up to July 31, 2021, i.e. date of his superannuation, the order said.
Asthana, a 1984 batch IPS officer, is also holding additional charge of DG, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).
Kaumudi, a 1986 batch IPS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre, is presently working as DG, Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D).

He has been appointed Special Secretary (Internal Security), Ministry of Home Affairs up to November 30, 2022 i.e. date of his superannuation, the order said.
His batchmate from Uttar Pradesh cadre, Md Jawed Akhtar has been appointed the DG, Fire Services, Civil Defence & Home Guard.
Akhtar will hold the charge of the post for a period up to July 31, 2021 i.e. date of his superannuation, it added.
He is presently working as Special DG, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).