Precious Kashmir

CB quizzes airlines staff for sale of tickets at exorbitant rates

Jammu & Kashmir

12/02/2020

Srinagar, Feb 11 : Crime Branch of Jammu and Kashmir today summoned the Sales Managers and other sales staff of all the Airlines which are operating from Srinagar Airport for questioning regarding the ticket sales at exorbitant rates.Police sources informed KNS that that the concerned officials were called for questioning after Crime Branch registered cases against ticketing agents and airlines operating in J&K under Section 420, 468, 471, 409 r/w and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code.Sources added that they will unearth this nexus so that all those who were involved in fleecing the customers would be dealt according to law.The Sales division officials of all the Airlines were questioned at Crime Branch headquarters for the whole day. All the documents regarding the sale of tickets were thoroughly investigated.Officials of these airlines confirmed to KNS that they were called for questioning by the police regarding the exorbitant rates of air tickets.Interestingly, soon after the case was registered in air ticketing fraud, the rates of air tickets for Srinagar destination dropped ,The Travel Agents in Jammu and Kashmir in connivance with the Airlines were fleecing people by selling them air tickets at exorbitant rates particularly when the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway gets closed.The preliminary investigation conducted by Crime Branch suggested that travel agents in league with airlines staff were buying group tickets in bulk from the airlines and then selling them at exorbitant prices which is against Director General Civil Aviation norms.Earlier Crime branch, Kashmir registered a case against the ticketing agents and airlines operating in J&K under Section 420, 468, 471, 409 r/w Section 120-B IPC.The action was taken after the Crime Branch Kashmir received complaints from various travel associations and trade bodies through Director Tourism Kashmir regarding alleged sale of air tickets by various travel agents on highly exorbitant rates by acting in league with air lines staff.

The Crime branch conducted an enquiry on these complaints at Police Station Crime Branch Kashmir, which revealed that the officials of various airlines sell group tickets in bulk in the name of passengers who are not members of any group and neither have sought their tickets as group members.

The tickets obtained in advance by the travel agents as group tickets are black marketed by them at exorbitant prices as individual tickets and airlines staff accept individual as group tickets passengers as group members at the time of check- in, in violation of terms and conditions of air lines for group booking.It transpired that air lines, by selling the bulk tickets in advance to travel agents, create an artificial & imaginary shortage in respect of availability of tickets online for general Public, which directly impacts the price index and results in high inflation in the air travel fares, thus paving way for fleecing of general Public by travel agents who, by purchasing tickets at a very low cost sell these tickets at high rates.

Thus, the travel agents by acting in furtherance of criminal conspiracy hatched with air lines staff, have been cheating the bonafide passengers and causing loss to the Public exchequer by tax evasion with corresponding wrongful gain.

Budgam villagers demand road connectivity

Jammu & Kashmir

Precious Kashmir

12/02/2020

Srinagar, Feb 11 : Residents of Dar Mohalla, Ganie Mohalla, checki Shera in Khan Sahab area of Budgam on Tuesday macadamised road connectivity for the area.

A group of residents of the area told KNS that they are suffering in absence of road.‘It becomes very difficult to walk on muddy road in rainy season particularly our children and patients are worst sufferers,” they said.A resident of the area said that recently fire consumed the house of Mushtaq Ahmad Ganie and the fire and emergency vehicle couldn’t reach the spot to douse the flames due to non availability of the proper road in the area .They alleged that they have requested the authorities several times to address their problem but nothing is happening on the ground.The residents of the area have appealed the authorities to construct the road in the area at the earliest. .

KNS editor Syed Aijaz Bereaved

Jammu & Kashmir

PK Web Desk

12/02/2020

SArinagar, Feb 11 : Uncle of Syed Aijaz , Editor Kashmir News Service passed away this morning at SKIMS Soura.

Peer Mohammad, resident of Hospital road Tral , was unwell for some time and breathed his last on Tuesday morning.

‘Kashmir News Service’ team expressed solidarity with Syed Aijaz and prayed for the eternal peace to the departed soul .

Defunct elevator at GMC Anantnag cause inconvenience to patients

National

Precious Kashmir

12/02/2020

Defunct elevator at GMC Anantnag cause inconvenience to patients

Anantnag, Feb 11, : Government Medical College (GMC) Anantnag, catering to hundreds of patients on a daily basis has failed to maintain the lifts, putting patients and their attendants into hassle.

Every day long queues of patients, along with their attendants, can be seen in the institute.As per source, in July 2019, mechanical wing of Jammu & Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation (JKPCC) conducted trail of the lifts in the four storey building of GMC. The trial was successfully conducted for two consecutive days.But when the authorities were supposed to throw the facility open for patients and attendants, the lift suffered a technical snag rendering it dysfunctional. “Till date neither the medical college authorities nor JKPCC officials have bothered to set right the elevator due to which patients continue to face problems,” said an attendant Basharat Ahmad.

Another attendant Shabir Ahmad of Kulgam said : “The real difficulty is for emergency patients and their attendants who rely on lifts to reach the departments concerned. For example, lift is necessary for critical patients to reach the units on upper floors in the hospital. The lift was installed in the hospital building right at the time of construction five years ago worth lakhs of rupees. The operation theater of the medical college is located in fourth floor of the building.

The GMC Anantnag which was earlier named as district hospital Anantnag is located in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district is catering to hundreds of patients on a daily basis.Due to non-functioning of the elevator, critical patients are taken to the wards by their attendants climbing stairs which poses high risk to them. Many aged patients can be seen taking long rest while going up the stairs up to fourth floor. “As the hospital’s elevator is not functioning, I had to carry my 62 year old father on a stretcher to the operation theater situated at an upper floor of the hospital,” said Shoaib Mohammad whose father remained under Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in the institute. Adding: “Doctors informed me that had there been a delay of even few minutes, my father else would have developed serious complications. Hospital management has failed to repair the elevator which has put the lives of patients at risk.

Deputations call on Advisor Khan, seek his intervention in expeditious redress of their grievances

National

Agencies

12/02/2020

Deputations call on Advisor Khan, seek his intervention in expeditious redress of their grievances

JAMMU, FEBRUARY 11: Various deputations from across Jammu and Kashmir today called on Advisor to Lieutenant Governor, Farooq Khan and apprised him of their issues, seeking early redressal to the same.

A delegation of Anganwari Workers Welfare Association submitted a memorandum of their demands which inter alia included release of pending wages, increase in monthly honorarium of Anganwari Workers and Helpers at par with other states of the country, provision of extra allowances for performing additional tasks under different schemes, formulation of retirement benefit social security scheme for Anganwari Workers and Helpers, proper supply of uniforms and stationary to AWWs as per scheme norms, 100 per cent promotion to AWWs as Supervisors, constitution of Tripartite Grievances Committees at UT and district level, and other related issues.A deputation of Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, Jammu Kashmir led by its State General Secretary Ashok Choudhary brought into the notice of the Advisor a number of issues concerning welfare of the labourers’ community and sought his intervention in expeditious disposal of the same. They informed the Advisor of severe exploitation of labourers happening in industries in Jammu and Kashmir in violation of the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act 1970 and rules made there under. They informed that regular manpower is being employed in many industries through labour supplier contractors and the workers employed through these means are working in core activities in industries continuously for past 10-20 years, facing exploitation and hardly being paid minimum wage. The delegation sought Advisor’s intervention in making an end to this mistreatment of labour. They also demanded implementation of Minimum Wages at par with Central rates as applicable all over the country.Meanwhile, residents of Village Uchapind and adjoining areas of Ramkote tehsil of Kathua district demanded up gradation of Government High School Ucha Pind to the status of Higher Secondary School while the residents of various Panchayats of Block Gujroo Nagrota in Tehsil Ramkote requested for opening of a Kendriya Vidyalaya in a central place either at Thara Kalwal or at Ucha Pind.

Contractors demand release of pending bills

National

Precious Kashmir

12/02/2020

Srinagar, Feb 11, : Kashmir Contractors under the banner of Jammu Kashmir Contractors Central Coordination Committee Tuesday demanded release of pending bills.

JKCCCC General Secretary Farooq Ahmed Dar said that government should clear all the liabilities of the contractors without any delay. He said that contractors have apprehensions that due to financial crunch, government may not be able to release the pending bills of contractors after March.

While addressing a press conference here in Srinagar, Farooq Ahmed Dar said that, “no breathing space has been provided to streamline the system and no provision provided for clearness of liabilities,” Dar said.

“Government should give us in written that it will clear all the liabilities then we don’t have any problem with e-billing,” Dar said.

He also impressed upon the government to restore high speed internet service, so that contractors don’t suffer any further in Kashmir Valley.

305 cases settled amicably in national Lok Adalat in Budgam

National

Precious Kashmir

12/02/2020

Srinagar, Feb 11 : As many as 305 cases of different nature were settled amicably in a national Lok Adalat in central Kashmir district of Budgam.

An official on Tuesday said that District Legal Services Authority, Budgam on Monday organized National Lok Adalat at District Court Complex Budgam and subordinate courts under the chairmanship of Chairman DLSA, Principal District and Sessions Judge, Raja Shujaat Ali.

“Secretary DLSA, Tabasum Qadir Parray supervised the proceedings of the National Lok Adalat,” he said.

He said the five benche Lok Adalat settled 305 cases out of 500 and realized an amount of Rs 8,50,300 as settlement amount.

Dheeraj, Zubair take stock of public grievances at Srinagar

City
National

PK Web Desk

11/02/2020

Dheeraj, Zubair take stock of public grievances at Srinagar

SRINAGAR: Principal Secretary, Housing and Urban Development Department, Dheeraj Gupta and Secretary, Culture and Tourism Department, Zubair Ahmad today took stock of people’s grievances during a day-long public grievance camp held at Banquet Hall, Srinagar.

During the programme, a large number of deputations and individuals from Srinagar, Budgam, Anantnag, Baramulla, Ganderbal, Kulgam, Pulwama, Gulmarg, Kokernag, Phalgam among other areas met the Administrative Secretaries and highlighted their issues. During the camp several service matter cases were also taken up.

A delegation of Sangarmaal shop owners Association, Srinagar, apprised the Principal Secretary about their issues. They said that Sangarmaal needs an immediate revival.

The Principal Secretary assured the Association that he would hold a meeting with the officials of Srinagar Development Authority, directing officials to furnish comprehensive details within four days. They demanded that Government should take all measures to enhance the footfall at the Sangarmaal Shopping mall.

A delegation of young professionals apprised the Principal Secretary about their issues. They said five years back, UEED notified Executive Officer posts and written exams were conducted. However no final list was issued by the Government.

A delegation of elderly people of Takanwaripora, Bakshipora and Tengpora, on the outskirts of Srinagar city demanded that their areas be de-notified from Srinagar. Gupta said that their issue would be examined and directed officials to furnish in this regard.

Dal Dwellers delegation demanded that their rehabilitation plan be expedited. They demanded that over 200 houses damaged as per LAWDA survey be rehabilitated. Principal Secretary informed that under law, there would be 100 per cent rehabilitation of the Dal dwellers.

A delegation from Kokernag, Anantnag alleged Municipal Committee violated norms of allotting shops to the deserving shopkeepers.

A delegation from Hyderia Colony, Khushi Pora, HMT, Srinagar demanded that their colony remains submerged.

A deputation of Pensioners of Gulmarg Development Authority (GDA) sought early redressal from the Government to pending arrears of pending since 1992.

A delegation of stenographers of Department of Tourism said that they have not been promoted from last five years and sought early redressal.

A delegation of PHE ITI Trained Workers Association of Kashmir province demanded that SRO-520 should be revoked. They also demanded regularization under the new rules of the UT.

A delegation of PG students of Department of Archaeology from University of Kashmir, demanded that special provisions should be made for the recruitment of PGs from the Universities. The Culture Secretary said that Culture Department was reviewing the recruitment rules and all possible measures would be taken to strengthen the department.

Jammu and Kashmir Society for Trekking and Environment apprised the Secretary about the status of the trekking in Kashmir region, urging him to give permission for conducting Naranag-Dumail day trek.

The Administrative Secretaries assured the deputations and individuals that all their issues would be looked into for redressal.

Commissioner, Srinagar Municipal Corporation, Gazanfar Ali, Vice-Chairman, Lakes and Waterways Development Authority (LAWDA), Tufail Mattoo, Chief Engineer, I&FC, Shahnawaz Hussain, Chief Engineer, PHE, Wahid Ahmad, Joint Director, Tourism, Kashmir, Tabasum Shafat Kamili, among other senior officers of the Tourism, Culture, and other Departments were present during the day-long public grievance camp in Srinagar.

People suffer as stray dogs on prowl in summer capital

City

PK Web Desk

11/02/2020

Srinagar: Despite lofty claims of Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) to control the canine population in Srinagar and people in various are facing difficulty to venture out of their homes.

The inhabitants of Karanagar complained that the canine population in the area had increased enormously due to which locals face difficulty to go outside their homes.

Mohammad Iqbal Sofi, a local resident outside SMHS Hospital told JKNS that not only locals but also attendants are facing the problems from last couple of months.

“Due to presence of dustbins and garbage outside the hospital, there is always risk of becoming the target of the dogs. The dog fear has become problem for everyone in the area,” he said.

Another resident, Insha Nabi from Babadam area said children are unable to go outside alone as they easily become prey of stray dogs.

She said due to absence of waste management has led to the growing population of dogs in the area. “Even sweepers do not clean the roads, lanes regularly and heaps of garbage had become source of food for the dogs,” Insha added.

The inhabitants of Aalikadal, Rajorikadal, Jamal-hatta and Bemina also complained about the growing dog menace and urged government to control the menace in the city.

Mohammad Shafi Dar, a local from Rajorikadal said sterilization process which has been started by the SMC will take decades to complete.

“The corporation is not serious about the sterilization process and there should be a short-term plan of SMC to curb the dog menace in city,” he said.

Dar said every year thousands of people become the victims of dog bites in the city. “Each month 9-10 cases are being reported in the area,” he said.

However, a senior official at SMC said there are around 40,000 to 41,000 dogs in city and sterilization process will take many years to complete.

Earlier, J&K High Court had directed the SMC to submit its report with regard to dog sterilization process in Srinagar. SMC would also take help from Animal Welfare Board for providing expertise for catching the dogs so that they are sterilized and immunized, reads the order.

An official at SMC said they have signed a memorandum of understanding on sterilization of dogs with Sheri-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences Kashmir (SKUAST) for resuming dog sterilization program in the city.

The official said measures have been taken to control canine menace in city and census had being carried out in all 74 administrative wards of the municipality.

It is pertinent mention that in 2017 more than 5000 dog bite cases were reported at Anti-Rabies Clinic (ARC) of SMHS Hospital Srinagar. (JKNS)

3,479 Ceasefire Violations By Pak In 2019: Rajnath

Front

PK Web Desk

11/02/2020

New Delhi: The Pakistan army was involved in a total of 3,479 ceasefire violations along the Jammu and Kashmir border in 2019, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Monday.

In a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha, he said 13 Indian Army personnel and two soldiers of the Border Security Force (BSF) were killed in action in 2019 due to ceasefire violations (CFVs) and cross border firing (CBF).

“Very often terrorists attempting to carry out reconnaissance to facilitate infiltration also become casualties and these are then depicted as civilian casualties to portray India’s action as being aggressive,” Singh said.

Such portrayal is done to draw the attention of international media to CFVs and CBF, and divert the attention from the support provided to terrorists, who are trained by Pakistan in PaJK (Pakistan-administrated Jammu and Kashmir) and its other areas, the minister said.

Appropriate retaliation to the CFVs, as required, has been carried out by the Indian Army or BSF, he said.

“In addition, all violations of ceasefire are taken up with Pakistan authorities at the appropriate level through the established mechanism of hotlines, flag meetings as well as weekly talks between the Directorate Generals of Military Operations of the two countries,” Singh stated.

“The BSF, too, holds talks at various levels with its counterpart viz Pakistan Rangers,” the minister mentioned.

Diplomatically, India has repeatedly emphasised, including at the highest level, the need for Pakistan to uphold the sanctity of the Line of Control and the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir as per its obligations emanating from the Shimla Agreement and the Lahore Declaration, Singh stated.

In January, February and March, there were 216, 251 and 275 CFVs, respectively by Pakistan along the Jammu and Kashmir border, the minister stated.

In October, November and December, there were 398, 333 and 393 CFVs, respectively by the neighbouring country along the border, he added.

At 190, the lowest number of CFVs in 2019, were observed in the month of June, according to the statistics presented by the defence minister in Rajya Sabha.

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