New Delhi, June 10: Four days after talks between top military commanders, India and China on Wednesday held another level of talks between Major General-level officers to find a resolution to the ongoing border dispute in eastern Ladakh.
The talks were held opposite Chushul in Ladakh, sources said.
Indian and Chinese troops have been engaged in a bitter face-off in eastern Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) for over a month.
Earlier on June 6, the Indian delegation led by Lt General Harinder Singh, the General Officer Commanding of Leh-based 14 Corps, and Commander of the Tibet Military District Maj Gen Liu Lin held the extensive meeting in Maldo on the Chinese side of the LAC in eastern Ladakh that lasted for hours.
Sources on Tuesday had said that more meetings will take place in the coming days at divisional and brigade commander level to resolve the LAC standoff. The result of the June 6 talks was seen after Chinese troops moved back by about 2.5 kilometres along the LAC, government sources in New Delhi said. According to sources, troops and vehicles moved back by about 2.5 Kms by Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in Galwan Area, Patrolling Point 15 and Hot Springs area. India has also moved some troops back, they said.
Sources confirmed that some disengagement had happened before June 6 talks between top military officials while some took place afterwards.
The India-China border dispute covers the 3,488-km-long LAC and the two nuclear-armed neighbours established the highest level of mechanism to deal with border disputes following 73-day stand-off in Doklam tri-junction in 2017.
Ladakh standoff: India, China hold Major General-level talks
Cherry Transport, Cold Storage
Horticulture plays an important role in Jammu and Kashmir’s economy. A large number of people are dependent directly or indirectly on it. Covid-19 had brought about pain and anguish in all spheres of life. Poor farmers are no exception. The impact has been immediately felt by cherry growers as supply-chain distortion has hurt them badly. In the last few days, the fruit growers have issued SOS twice and their demand has been minimum support price (MSP) for cherry amid high yield this year.
As per figures cited by the growers, the cherry produce in the Kashmir this year is about 12,000 metric tonnes. The growers are facing massive losses due to limited demand this year as Mumbai and other suitable markets for the delicate fruit remain out of bounds due to covid-19. The growers are looking for the government’s support and one of the recent statements from it that it is “working out a mechanism for ensuring speedy transportation of the horticultural produce especially cherry by way of various interventions” is assuring.
As per the government, 215 tonnes of cherry have already been exported to different markets of the country and around 1000 boxes have been airlifted to Mumbai till date. Cherry canning units have started to function and rest of them are opening up, the government added. 2000 tonnes of raw cherry were exported to different mandies of the country last year besides 6000 tonnes were canned, it said. The figures cited by the government and the growers vary a lot but the moot questions remain that fruit should be transported without delay. The government should make arrangements to ensure the fruit reaches markets and the end consumer. The cherry growers do not have the luxury of cold storages and their yield would perish if it doesn’t sell in time. In fact, there should be a special arrangement in place to ensure that the produce that has less shelf life is consumed quickly. The growers need supply chain workable every time. The Valley for one reason or another has some sought of crisis—whether in terms of highway closure or some disturbances within. The successive governments despite assurances have failed to put in place cold storage which would have helped the growers to ward off the present crisis. It is better that alternative plans are set up and concretized well in time. For now, efforts should continue to transport the fragile fruit. Otherwise, it will bring about the catastrophe in the lives of the poor orchardists who depend on returns to keep wheels of life going on. If they ever needed the government, it is now.
Body of a missing soldier fished out in Uri after 5 days
Peerzada Waseem
Baramulla, June 10: The body of a missing soldier, who had slipped to death into river Jehlum five days ago, was fished out today at Boniyar Dam in Uri area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.
Official sources told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), that as per Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) recording, the missing soldier had left his weapon and personal mobile phone on the banks of river Jehlum and went across.
They said that after continuous search after five days of search, the body of missing solider was recovered at Boniyar dam. The deceased has been identified as Afsar Singh son of Surendra Singh, a resident of Bikna village in Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh with service number 3312984w deployed with army battalion 05 Jatt. He had joined the service on 2016.
Senior Superintendent of police (SSP), Baramulla, Abdul Qayoom also confirmed to KNO that the body of missing soldier has been recovered after five days at Boniyar, Uri.
“A police party has reached the spot and took the body for legal formalities,” he said
Partial Darbar Move
The date fixed for the formal reopening of ‘Darbar Move’ offices in Srinagar is July 6, a delay of almost two months against the normal schedule. The holdup has been attributed by the government to a peculiar situation thrown by the novel coronavirus. The situation, as per the government, has also prompted the administration to keep the civil secretariat open in Jammu for summer and the employees from the region would continue to work “as is where is basis”. In other words, the biannual “Darbar Move”, the shifting of the administrative machinery from Jammu to Srinagar, will not take place completely, the first time in almost 150 years.
The government had earlier accorded sanction for the formal opening of offices for the summer session in Srinagar from May 4. The announcement was made in the backdrop of speculations that the administration was planning to do away with the century-old practice that costs the J&K exchequer huge money annually. Later, as the virus raged, employees from Kashmir moved towards Kashmir and the offices opened here even though not formally.
The practice dates back to 1892 and allows the rulers to escape the Kashmir chill and extremes of summer heat in Jammu.
There have always been voices, both from Jammu as well as Kashmir that the practice needs to end.
History bears testimony to the fact during the time the Durbar is at one of the capitals, the other one gets neglected in many ways. It is a fact that the continuance of the practice has resulted in some social and economic integration, despite the communal fringe elements always profiting from public discontent and disorder. The two regions have become dependent on each other and one would want it not to be disturbed.
The government’s decision to defer the formal reopening of the Darbar Move in Srinagar till July 6 seems to be a measure aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus and if the underlining reasons is really to be so, it cannot be faulted with. The government has not answered why it was safe for Kashmiri employees to move to Srinagar and not those based in Jammu. Without getting into controversy, the government must keep the practice going and leave the decision to the elected government. For the time being, the government’s assurance that “the arrangement is due to the peculiar situation for this year only” is assuring.
Kashmir records 5 more COVID-19 deaths, toll 51
>61 more people test positive in J&K, toll mounts to 4,346
> 2099 positive active cases in Kashmir, 693 in Jammu
Precious Kashmir News
Srinagar, June 9: The death toll due to COVID-19 mounted to 51 in J&K on Tuesday as five people, all residents of Kashmir, died to the deadly infection, while as 61 more people tested positive for the pathogen across the Union Territory, taking the number of infected persons to 4346.
An official said that with five deaths today, 15 people have lost their lives due to infection during the last 72 hours, and 36 people in 21 days in J&K.
Official sources said a 31-year-old man from DH Pora in Kulgam was admitted to S K Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) on June 5 for Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and Hypertension. ‘The patient, who was on Haemodialysis, had tested positive for COVID-19,’ they said, adding the 31-year-old man died on Tuesday evening.
They said a 70-year-old cancer patient, who had tested positive last week, died at Chest Disease hospital on Tuesday. ‘But, his latest swab tested negative for COVID-19,’ they added.
They said the patient in order to be declared as COVID free has to test negative at least in two successive samples.
They said another 70-year-old man, a resident of Qazigund in Anantnag, was admitted to SHMS hospital for multiple problems, including pneumonia. ‘The patient was tested positive for COVID-19 few day ago,’ they said, adding the 70-year-old man died on Tuesday afternoon in the hospital.
Earlier, a 52-year-old auto-driver, a resident of Sopore in Baramulla, died at Chest Disease hospital in the wee hours on Tuesday. They said the 52-year-old man was admitted to SHMS hospital on May 19 after he met with an accident. ‘The patient tested positive for COVID-19 two days back following which he was referred to Chest Disease hospital,’ they said.
They said that the patient developed complication and died in the wee hours on Tuesday. ‘The last rites of the deceased would be done in accordance with the MHA guidelines,’ they added.
Late this evening an elderly man from Pulwama became the fifth COVID-19 casualty in a day.
A health official told KINS, a 60 year old man from Ruhama village in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district died in a Srinagar hospital.
Ten districts of Jammu have reported five fatalities while 46 people have lost their lives due to COVID-19 in ten districts of Kashmir.
With these fatalities on Tuesday, the death toll in Baramulla has risen to nine, while the number swelled to six in Anantnag and five in Kulgam. Srinagar is the worst affected district with 12 deaths, followed by Baramulla with nine fatalities. Anantnag stands at number three with six deaths while Kulgam at number four with five fatalities.
Kashmir on Monday recorded five deaths, including that of a CRPF man, due to COVID-19.
61 more people test positive in J&K, toll mounts to 4,346
Meanwhile, 61 persons, including 44 from Kashmir and 17 from Jammu, tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, taking the total number of infected people in J& to 4,346.
An official said, ‘Srinagar recorded the highest number of 13 new COVID-19 cases, followed by Budgam with nine cases,’ he said, adding that seven people tested positive for the infection in Kupwara. Baramulla registered five new COVID-19 cases,’ he said, adding that four persons each tested positive for the infection in Anantnag, Jammu and Kishtwar.
He said Kathua and Reasi recorded three new cases each, while two persons each tested positive for COVID-19 in Kulgam and Ramban. ‘Shopian, Bandipora, Pulwama, Ganderbal and Udhampur recorded one new case each,’ he added.
With 61 new cases, he said the total number of infected persons in J&K has risen to 4346. ‘Out of these, 3407 are in Kashmir and 939 are in Jammu,’ he said.
The total active positive cases in the UT stood at 2792, including 2099 from Kashmir and 693 from Jammu.
He said 182 COVID-19 patients from J&K were discharged on Tuesday, after being treated successfully. ‘As many as 1506 positive patients have been treated and discharged successfully so far,’ he said.
Another 10,000 COVID-19 cases in India, doomsday predicted in Delhi
New Delhi, June 9: The novel coronavirus spread its tentacles further in India as sharpest spike of nearly 10,000 cases along with 266 fatalities was recorded in past 24 hours with Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister predicting that COVID-19 tally will reach 5.5 lakh in the national capital by July 31.
Rise recorded since Monday is so far the highest single-day hike the country. More worrisome is the fact that every day, the total number of fresh cases are rising. On Tuesday, as per Union Health Ministry, 9,987 fresh cases were registered, taking the tally to 2,66,598. The number of recoveries and active cases now stand shoulder-to-shoulder with 1,29,215 and 1,29,917 respectively.
Though the recovery front is improving and sending signals of positivism among the active COVID patients, the violation of social distancing on daily basis are fuelling the tally. Also, more cases are coming into light due to enhance testing.
Capital crisis
Delhi, where cases are scaling new heights day-by-day, quivered after Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia revealed that the cases are expected to rise to 5.5 lakh by July 31. The assertion came after the meeting called by State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), chaired by Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, to discuss the COVID-19 situation in the national capital where the tally has almost reached 30,000, including 874 deaths.
Speaking to the media persons after the meeting, Sisodia alerted that Delhi will require at least 80,000 beds. There are currently nearly 20,000 beds in the national capital for the treatment of Covid-19 patients. However, the authorities in Delhi have rejected any sign of community spread so far. “But the infection could spread rapidly in the coming weeks”, they maintained.
However, Health Minister Satyendra Jain averred that the authorities were not able to trace the source of infection in almost 50 per cent of the COVID patients in the city, thus drawing apprehensions over the community spread.
Community spread implies that the virus is now circulating in the community, and can infect people with no history — either of travel to affected areas, or of contact with the infected person.
Disallowing burial of COVID-19 victims: Remember you too can die because of virus,says Mufti Nasir
Suhail Khan
Srinagar, June 9: Kashmir’s Grand Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam on Tuesday said those people who are disallowing burial of COVID-19 victims, should remember they too can die because of this deadly infection.
“Disallowing burial of COVID-19 victims is un-Islamic. People have to take preventive measures to bury a dead body. Like he or she is not given ablution and is wrapped in a cloth. But does Islam say we should not allow burial of these people? No. Doing such acts is un-Islamic,” Nasir-ul-Islam told KINS.
“Those who disallow burial of these people should remember they too can fall victim of COVID-19. These people could face the same situation. These people did not bring infection on their own. Then why disallowing burial to these people,” he asked.
Kashmir’s Grand Mufti said if any family faces any issue in burial of deceased persons, they should bring it into his notice and he will raise the issue with the administration.
According to reports, a COVID-19 positive patient died in a Srinagar hospital on Sunday. It is alleged that local community members refused to bury the deceased in their graveyard.
Later, an NGO came forward and its volunteers identified the graveyard, dug the grave and performed burial.
However, as per reports when volunteers were on the job, residents opposed it. Volunteers had to face a tough time in convincing them to allow the burial.
This is not an isolated case. Several cases have taken place where locals have opposed the burial of COVID-19 victims.
“Cadavers do not transmit disease”, say the World Health Organisation guidelines for managing bodies of those who die of Covid-19. Indian health ministry guidelines state that “there is unlikely to be an increased risk of Covid infection from a dead body to health workers or family members who follow standard precautions while handling body”.
For healthcare workers, mortuary staff and others directly handling bodies, these standard precautions involve wearing protective gear like gloves and masks, maintaining good hand hygiene and sanitising everything that the body has touched. “For family members, priests and mourners, they involve not touching the body, wearing basic protective gear, and not gathering in groups to pray,” the guidelines read.(KINS)
Ladakh Standoff:India, China start de-escalation process
New Delhi, June 9: Amid ongoing standoff between troops of both Himalayan nations, India and China have started de-escalation process at various areas along Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh.
The de-escalation process starts with withdrawal of troops, equipment and combat vehicles, sources said on Tuesday. The sources further added that Finger four areas would also be resolved soon. On June 6, India and China held Lt Gen-level talks to resolve the border row.
The meeting on June 6 lasted for around six hours in two phases.
Indian side was led by Leh-HQ 14 Corp Commander Lieutenant General Harinder Singh and Chinese delegate is headed by Major General Liu Lin, Commander of South Xinjiang Military Region.
During the meeting, India had pressed for restoration of status quo in the areas of Eastern Ladakh, removal of heavy build-up of artillery and armoured in the areas and follow the protocols laid down by the political leadership of the two countries. However, Chinese side had asked to stop the border roads construction projects.
‘Indian, Chinese troops mutually pull back from most areas’
New Delhi: Indian and Chinese troops have begun mutual disengagement in some parts of eastern Ladakh ahead of the next round of military talks scheduled tomorrow, government sources said on Tuesday.
Top military talks are to be held in the ‘Hot Springs’ area of eastern Ladakh on Wednesday.
Sources say ahead of the talks, a “significant” number of Chinese troops have withdrawn. Except the Finger region in Pangong Tso, Chinese troops have started pulling back two to three km, they say. To reciprocate, the Indian side has also brought back some of its troops and vehicles from these areas, said top sources.
Talks between the two armies are to be held this week at multiple locations including Patrolling point 14 (Galwan area), Patrolling point 15, and Hot Springs, a wire agency quoted government sources as saying.
Indian military teams are in Chushul for talks with the Chinese soldiers.
On Monday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said India wants a resolution of the decades-old border issue with China “as soon as possible”. He described as “positive” last week’s high-level military dialogue between the two sides on the face-off in eastern Ladakh.
In an attempt to defuse tension, Lieutenant General Harinder Singh, the General Officer Commanding of Leh-based 14 Corps, and Commander of the Tibet Military District Major General Liu Lin held an extensive meeting on Saturday.
A day later, the foreign ministry said in a statement that the meeting took place in a “cordial and positive atmosphere” and that both sides had agreed that an “early resolution” would contribute to further development of the relationship between the two countries.
The Chinese foreign ministry, in a statement, said both the countries had agreed to work to maintain peace along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and resolve the standoff through talks.
Tension between the two sides sharply escalated after reports of skirmishes between soldiers in the Pangong Lake region on May 5 and May 6.
According to sources quoted by another wire agency, the Chinese Army had been ramping up its strategic reserves in its rear bases near the LAC by rushing in artillery guns, infantry combat vehicles and heavy military equipment. The trigger for the face-off was China’s stiff opposition to India laying a key road in the Finger area around the Pangong Tso Lake, besides the construction of another road connecting the Darbuk-Shayok-Daulat Beg Oldie road in Galwan Valley, the agency said quoting sources.
