Category: Union Territory

Srinagar: A Division Bench Wednesday dismissing a plea challenging extension in services of incumbent Advisor to Lieutenant Governor, Baseer Ahmed Khan terming it in-fructuous.

A Division Bench of the State High Court comprising Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Sanjay Dhar through video conferencing after hearing Advocate Sheikh Shakeel Ahmed through virtual mode taking note of the submissions made by Advocate S.S. Ahmed directed that the instant application having been rendered in-fructuous is hereby dismissed.

When this matter came up for hearing through virtual mode Advocate S.S. Ahmed according to news agency KNT invited the attention of the Division Bench to a PIL wherein the petitioners challenged order vide number 26014/1/2019-AIS-II dated June, 30, 2019 whereby Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Department of Personnel and Training, Government of India accorded approval to the extension in service of Baseer Ahmed Khan (IAS) as Divisional Commissioner Kashmir for a period of one year as a special case beyond the date of his superannuation.

Advocate S.S. Ahmed submitted that this application has been rendered infructuous with the efflux of time as Baseer Ahmed Khan (IAS) has further been appointed and elevated to the post of Advisor to the Lieutenant Governor Jammu and Kashmir and the cause projected in the instant application does not serve any purpose.

The Division Bench headed by Chief Justice Gita Mittal taking note of the submissions made by Advocate S.S. Ahmed directed that the instant application having been rendered infructuous is hereby dismissed.

The Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed by social activist Sheikh Muhammad Shafi (KNT)

Srinagar: The district administration in Srinagar on Wednesday said that the migrant workers would be allowed to enter the city after testing negative for COVID-19, officials said.

The administration also issued guidelines and appointed nodal officer for the regulated entry of non-local labourers.

“It has been decided that Rapid Antigen Testing/ RT-PCR (Real Time Polymerize Chain Reaction) shall be done on arrival in districts. The scheme has been notified keeping in view the large workforce of brick kilns. There are no brick kilns operating in District Srinagar however labor for construction activities and infrastructure projects has been reported to be arriving in some cases.

Further, there is also need to have in place strict arrangements to ensure that all required protocols are followed to avoid spread of COVID,” said a spokesman.

He said the Department of Labour and Employment shall be Nodal Department for ensuring end to end arrangements for incoming Labour to ensure their regulated entry, compulsory COVID testing, distancing norms and SOPs at places of work and stay.

Deputy Labour Commissioner shall personally oversee the arrangements and personally monitor the process. He shall be designated officer under The Disaster Management Act 2005, for the said purpose.

Asstt Labour Commissioner, Srinagar shall remain stationed at Pantha-chowk to coordinate entry Labour and compulsory testing at designated camp and further SOPs to be adopted at places of work and stay. Each worker/ labourer shall be given a unique ID number by Labor Department to ensure his tracking and surveillance, compulsorily indicating mobile number and other particulars. Any lapse in management shall be personal responsibility of concerned officers.

The Deputy Labor Commissioner / Asstt Labor Commissioner shall establish a Control Room at Panthachowk for overall coordination. The control room shall have representatives from all the departments deputed already at disposal of Tehsildar Panthachowk. They shall coordinate with Lakhanpur and JT teams and ensure that no entry is allowed beyond the manifest received.
The following guidelines shall be implemented without any relaxation, by Deputy / Asstt Labor Commissioner, and they shall be personally responsible in case any laborer/ worker is found in city in violation of these.

Mandatory Rapid Antigen Testing/ RT-PCR,Unique ID for each person,Wearing mask all the times,Social distancing at places of stay,Social distancing at places of work,Complete database of places of stay and work,Contact numbers/ address details of labor contractors,Daily reporting on arrival,Database of labour,Installation of Aarogya Setu.

Any vehicles found ferrying laborers without permission shall be seized, imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 and shall not be released till the cost of Rapid Antigens Testing/ RT-PCR and other logistics is recovered from owner of vehicle/contractor.

Likewise, the labour contractors shall be booked for any violation of norms at places of work or stay. A fine of Rs 50,000 shall be imposed on contractor for violation of norms. All the costs including testing, logistics etc shall be recovered from the contractor wherever unauthorized movement of labor is found.

Labor Deptt shall communicate to all Tehsildars the details of places of work and places of stay of labor for strict monitoring and regular inspections. Further, directions shall be issued separately.

This order is issued under The Disaster Management Act and The Epidemic Diseases Act. Any violation thereof shall be dealt under provisions of the said Act.(KINS)

SRINAGAR: Amid surge in coronavirus cases, Srinagar is the worst district across Jammu and Kashmir where 3283 positive cases were detected until Tuesday.

As per the official figures accessed by news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS), 15258 positive cases have been reported from Jammu and Kashmir till Tuesday of which 6540 are active positive and 8455 have recovered. Jammu and Kashmir has also reported around 270 deaths by the deadly virus.

As per the figures, Srinagar has 3283 positive cases with 1961 active positive, 1253 recovered, 69 deaths until Tuesday.

A doctor at SMHS Hospital said Srinagar has become a major concern for the administration due to the huge number of COVID-19 positive cases.

“Highest numbers of deaths have also been reported from this district. There is hardly any area in Srinagar where positive cases have not been reported. It seems a difficult job for the administration to contain the virus in Srinagar,” the doctor told KINS.

In comparison, Jammu district has reported 651 positive cases with 199 active positive cases and 440 recoveries.

Similarly, Bandipora has 478 positive cases with 121 active positive, 352 recovered. Similarly, Anantnag district has 1097 positive cases with 363 active positive, 716 recovered. Baramulla has 1651 positive cases with 674 active positive, 922 recovered. Shopian has 1168 positive cases with 365 active positive, 784 recovered.

Kupwara has 965 positive cases with 362 active positive, 588 recovered. While Budgam has 948 positive cases with 449 active positive and 480 recovered cases. Ganderbal has 307 positive cases with 177 active positive cases and 126 recoveries. Kulgam has 1186 positive cases with 297 active positive and 864 recoveries. Pulwama reported 1042 positive cases with 494 active positive cases and 534 recovered.

Government has already issued an advisory that the best way to protect themselves from COVID-19 is by maintaining physical distance of at least 2 metre from others, frequently cleaning hands with an alcohol based hand sanitizer or washing them with soap and water and following good respiratory etiquette and hygiene.

As a measure for social distancing in public places and workplaces wearing a face cover is compulsory.

The advisory explained that early detection of COVID-19 can prevent the spread of disease so we need to be responsible for the well-being of ourselves and everyone around us. “Not disclosing symptoms could put life of individuals and their families at risk. In case of symptoms like fever, cough and difficulty in breathing report early. Do not fear, call COVID-19 helpline numbers and seek medical advice”.

Advisory has further exhorted upon the people not to step out of home, unless absolutely necessary. “If you have to move out for unavoidable reasons, ensure that you wear a mask and practice social distancing, personal hygiene and frequent handwashing with soap and water.”

In case of any emergency people can avail free ambulance services 24×7 at their doorsteps by calling on toll-free number 108 while as pregnant women and sick infants can avail free ambulance services by dialling toll-free number 102.(KINS)

Srinagar: Eight more patients including a five-year-old boy who were tested positive for COVID-19 died on Wednesday, thus taking the toll of deaths due to the virus to 275 in Jammu and Kashmir.

Officials told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that eight patients who died include a 58-year-old man from Rajbagh Srinagar, a 45-year-old man from Zoonimar Srinagar, a 45-year-old man from Palpora Noor Bagh Srinagar, a male patient from Khanyar Srinagar, a 70-year-old male from Ganderbal, a 29-year-old woman from Qazigund Anantnag, a 54-year old man from Sonwar Srinagar and a five-year-old kid from Qazipora Bandipora.

An official from SKIMS said that a patient from Rajbagh was admitted on July 16 with chest infection and tested positive for COVID-19, died on Wednesday morning.

Official sources said the patient was a ward officer in Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) and had worked as a frontline worker in last three months in the area to avoid the spread of COVID-19.

An official from SKIMS added that two more patients including a 54-year-old man from Sonwar Srinagar who was admitted on July 14 and a five-year old boy from Qazipora Bandipora who was admitted on June 20 died at SKIMS on Wednesday afternoon. 

He said that boy had burn injuries and was tested positive for COVID-19 on 16 July.

An official from CD hospital said that a patient from Shah Gund Hajin, at present living in Zoonimar area of Srinagar, who was tested positive for COVID-19 was brought dead to CD hospital.

He said the patient was already critical, was suffering from lung cancer and was tested positive on Tuesday evening.

An official from SKIMS Bemina told KNO that a 29-year-old woman who was tested positive for COVID-19 died on Wednesday. 

An official from SMHS said that a 45-year-old man from Palpora Srinagar who was admitted on July 20 with bilateral pneumonia, died on Wednesday.

He further added that a male patient from Khanyar Srinagar who was admitted on July 21 died on Wednesday. He was suffering from Diabetes, hypertension, bilateral pneumonia and was tested positive after his death, he said.

A 70-year-old man from Ganderbal who was admitted on July 20 died on 21 July at SMHS, official said, adding that he was suffering from bilateral pneumonia and was tested positive a day after his death.

With eight more deaths, the death toll due to COVID-19 has reached to 275 in Jammu and Kashmir including 255 from Kashmir division and 20 from Jammu division—(KNO)

Srinagar: Jammu Kashmir Save Front has flayed the Domicile Law for Jammu and Kashmir saying it is aimed at to change the demography of erstwhile state.

The party patron Mufti Nazimuddin told news agency KNT that accused BJP led government in New Delhi of speeding up new ordinances in the midst of a pandemic to change demography of Jammu and Kashmir.

“We appeal Prime Minister of India to take back this law which has been implemented against the wishes and aspirations of people of Jammu and Kashmir,” Mufti Nazimuddin said.

Terming the domicile law as a murder of democracy, he said that Supreme Court of India and the Modi-led government are working in tandem to usurp the democratic rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

He also flayed Government of India for implementing Building Operations Act. He said that construction of over 1 lakh structures for army personnel will change Kashmir into a colony and it will completely change the demography of Jammu and Kashmir.

“After the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, the political voices have fallen silent. Jammu Kashmir Save Party has decided to organize a strong sustained democratic and transparent movement for restoration of democratic and constitutional rights of the people. (KNT)

Srinagar: While antiviral drug remdesivir reduces the risk of death among Covid-19 patients, Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) on Wednesday said the drug is unaffordable for poor patients.

“Because of high cost, remdesivir is out of reach for poor people” said DAK President and influenza expert Dr Nisar ul Hassan.

“The Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) has approved remdesivir injection under emergency use authorization for the treatment of suspected or lab confirmed Covid-19 cases who are hospitalized with severe disease,” he said.
“It is a five day treatment. The loading dose of 200 mg (shot) on day 1 is followed by 100 mg (shot) daily for 4 days (total 5 days),” he added.

Dr Nisar said each vial of remdesivir costs between Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,400. Thus for a five day treatment, a patient has to pay anywhere between Rs 24,000 and Rs 32,400 as the cost the drug.

“The price makes it inaccessible to those patients who desperately need it,” he said.

Dr Nisar said besides affordability, non-availability of the drug is equally breeding the concern on the ground.

“Un-affordability and non-availability of the drug is putting lives of Covid patients at serious risk,” he said.

Dr Nisar said government needs to make sure any treatment that has the potential to save lives is accessible and affordable to all those who need it,” he said.

“We must remove all obstacles to the widespread use of one of the most effective treatments that the novel virus has at this point in time,” he said.

Dr Nisar said studies have shown that patients who received remdesivir recovered faster than those who did not receive the drug.

Quoting a study, he said the drug cuts the recovery time by nearly one-third, reducing the median recovery time for Covid-19 patients by four days.

“Another clinical trial has found the drug to reduce the risk of death by 62% among Covid patients,” said Dr Nisar.

Doctors, paramedics hail the Director for installing state-of-the-art medical equipment

Srinagar: Continuing its remarkable endeavours to provide quality healthcare across Jammu and Kashmir, Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura has installed sophisticated machinery for conducting plasmapheresis for COVID-19 patients.

“This is an outstanding development. With these sophisticated machines, we would be now able to conduct plasmapheresis for COVID-19 patients with some precision,” Director, SKIMS and Ex-Officio Secretary to Government, Dr A.G Ahangar said.

He said that SKIMS has started plasmapheresis—using Spectra Optia Cell Separator apheresis machine which is the state-of-art machine used for plasmapheresis in COVID patients.
 
“The machine was procured on a war front basis to combat the COVID-19 crisis and the machine is fitted with a highly sophisticated connector device,” he said.

Plasmapheresis has been used on a trial basis for COVID- 19 patients and has shown promising results. Plasmapheresis is a process in which the liquid part of the blood, or plasma, is separated from the blood cells. Typically, the plasma is replaced with another solution such as saline or albumin, or the plasma is treated and then returned to your body.

It may be recalled here that Plasma Therapy was started for COVID patients about a month back at SKIMS. The Director said that the use of this machine is ideal for the extraction of plasma in donors who have recovered from this disease. He said that Plasmapheresis helps to extract more plasma per operation and returns the blood cells of the donor to him.

“This way more plasma can be extracted and one -time a donor can donate for 2 patients. Since only Plasma is used a donor can donate plasma more frequently,” Dr Ahangar said.

Today, for the first time the procedure of plasmapheresis was done on a doctor who had come to SKIMS Blood Bank as a volunteer plasma donor. The Director, Prof A G Ahangar, Medical Superintendent, Prof Faruq Jan, and Head, Blood Transfusion Medicine, Prof Rumana Makhdoomi personally supervised the procedure—which was carried out without any complications.

Meanwhile the doctors, paramedics and the officials at SKIMS have hailed the Director for tirelessly working to install the state-of-the-art medical equipment installed at the Department.
 
“Installation of this machine has brought SKIMS at par with leading institutions of the country which are leading from the front on plasma therapy for COVID. It is the first step towards the establishment of a plasma bank in Kashmir,” said, Head, Blood Transfusion Medicine, Prof Rumana Makhdoomi.  “It is really amazing how the Director is bringing many developments on board and incorporating the newest ideas and features to the Medical Institute,” she said.(GNS)

The decision comes into effect on Wednesday evening.

As Jammu and Kashmir’s COVID-19 cases crossed the 15,000 mark, the J&K administration on Wednesday decided to re-impose a strict lockdown across Kashmir up to July 28.

A government spokesperson announced “a complete lockdown in all red districts, excluding Bandipora, of the Kashmir division from today [Wednesday] evening till 6 a.m. of July 27.”

He added that activities related to agriculture, horticulture and construction will continue in accordance with the DMRR guidelines. “The movement of goods carriers, LPG and oil tankers [are] to continue unhindered,” he added.

The lockdown comes a day after 608 new positive cases of the SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus were reported — 106 from the Jammu division and 502 from the Kashmir division — taking the total number of positive cases in Jammu and Kashmir to 15,258.

“Out of 15,258 positive cases, 6,540 are active positive cases and 8,455 have recovered,” the official said.

At least 263 people have died due to COVID-19 in J&K so far.

Jammu and Kashmir’s summer capital Srinagar has the highest number of positive cases at 3,283, of which 1,961 are active positive. At 69 deaths, Srinagar has also recorded the highest number of deaths in J&K so far.

With inputs from The Hindu

Srinagar: A man who died of Covid-19 infection, living in Srinagar was buried at his native Hajin village of North Kashmir’s Banipora district on Wednesday.

Sources told news agency KNT that 47 year old man died of Covid infection at SKIMS Soura on Wednesday morning. The deceased was living in Zoonimar area of Eidgah Srinagar from past 14 years. However, family decided to bury him at his native Shahgund Hajin village of Bandipora.

“We are thankful to Zoonimar locals who had insisted us to bury the departed soul in the local graveyard, but as per the last wish of the deceased, we buried him in his native village,” said a relative of the deceased.

Pertinently, the cumulative total of Covid-19 cases in Jammu and Kashmir has crossed 15000 mark with four more deaths on Wednesday. Four more patients who had tested Covid-19 positive have died, taking the number of people who have succumbed to the novel Coronavirus in Jammu and Kashmir to 270. (KNT)

Says district grapples with unprecedented health emergency. Negligence of administration needs to be probed

Srinagar: Chairman People’s Democratic Front (PDF) Hakeem Yaseen has expressed serious concern over manifolds spike in Coronavirus cases among migrant labourers in Budgam district from last few days. He said only Covid infection free labourers should be allowed to enter the district.

In a statement issued to KNS on Wednesday, Hakeem Yaseen has expressed serious concern over the massive spread in Coronavirus infection in district Bugam adding that about 80 migrant lanbourers were tested positive yesterday. Urging for declaring health emergency in the district to check further spread of Pandemic, Hakeem Yaseen said that it was due to the wrong policy of the administration to permit entry of labourers in the kashmir valley without conducting thier mandatory health screening at Lakhanpur entry point, that Coronovirus was spreading at an alarming speed.

He said whole district was heading towards a major health catastrophy, if damage control measures to check further spread of infection was not taken on emergency basis. He has also demanded an independent investigation into the serious negligence as to how un-screened labourers were allowed to enter the valley particularly in district Bugam.

He said only those migrant labourers should be allowed to enter in the valley who are detected coronovirus infection free at the lakhanpur entry point. He said in view of the covid infection surpassing each passing day, administration should take urgent measures to check further spread of the disease on war footing basis.

“By allowing migrant labourers to enter the valley directly without conducting their health screening and Covid testing at Lakhanpur entry point , the administration has itself resorted to violation of Covid SOPs, ” Hakeem Yaseen observed adding that authorities at the helm of affairs shall have to be answerable before the people of kashmir for this lapse.

Hakeem Yaseen said though medical fraternity was fighting the dreadful disease with all its might, even at the cost of their lives and thier loved children, the callous attitude and flawed decision making of the administration has made thier sacrifice too to go in waste. He has demanded stern action against the black sheep in the administration, who have comitted the blunder to permit migrant labourers to enter the valley without conducting their health screening and covid testing at the Lakhanpur entry point as per the mandatory health advisories and protocol.

Hakeem Yaseen said revival of the dying economy was all ok but it should not be at the cost of life. Life comes first, then livelihood. He said even the annual Amarnath Yara has been postponed this year to save the precious life of pilgrims, so what was the emergency in bringing migrant labourers in the valley particularly in Budgam district clandestinely at a time when COVID has started showing its ugly face in Kashmir and we see hospitals are flooded with positive cases, patients are gasping, their attendants wailing and the health workers helpless.

Hakeem Yaseen has appealed to the people to take care of their lives by themselves as the administration seems to be least bothered about it’s responsibilities towards it’s people to safeguard thier lives . He has asked the people to follow health advisories religiously adding that use of face masks and keeping mandatory social distancing should not be violated in violated in any case. (KNS)