Category: Union Territory

PTI

Srinagar: The number of COVID-19 fatalities in Jammu and Kashmir rose to 92 on Saturday after a 70-year-old woman from Baramulla district tested positive for coronavirus following her death, officials said.

The woman from Sopore area of north Kashmir district died at the SMHS hospital here late Friday evening, the officials said.

They said she was admitted to the hospital on Thursday and was suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and pneumonia.

Her sample was taken on Friday and it returned as positive, the officials said

With her death, the death toll in J&K due to COVID-19 has reached 92.

National Conference on Friday reiterated its opposition to Jammu and Kashmir Grant of Domicile Certificate (Procedure) Rules 2020.

In a statement, party’s chief spokesperson Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi said the party unequivocally rejects the unconstitutional and anti-people process of grant of domicile certificates to outsiders and demanded immediate revocation of Domicile Order and Rules.

“All the misgivings raised after the domicile laws were changed in J&K are coming to fore with J&K government’s issuance of domicile certificates to non residents of J&K. The first and foremost casualty of this process will be our jobs and the land holdings which were earlier reserved for the permanent residents of J&K irrespective of their religion or region,” Ruhullah said adding that the measure is aimed at disempowering the permanent residents politically and economically.

“Domicile Order and Rules will never be acceptable at any point of time because the measures are aimed at disempowering the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Its implementation will push people with valid state subject certificates to uncertainty and unnecessary hardship,” he said.

He further said that the procedure for grant of Domicile Certificate is made in exercise of power under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act 2019, challenged in a number of petitions before the Supreme Court, the hearing before the Constitution Bench has commenced and is proceeding ahead. “With the constitutional validity of the Act impugned and the petitions under consideration of the Court, the Government of India in tune with the universally accepted principle of “constitutional proprietary”, is under an obligation to desist from exercising powers under the impugned Act including the power to promulgate Domicile law and Rules in question,” he said.

“National Conference has taken a principled stand on the floor of the Parliament and outside that the decisions of 5th August 2019 taking away special status and constitutional guarantees available to Jammu and Kashmir and dividing and downgrading the State are unconstitutional and unilateral,” he said while asking Government of India to immediately revoke the Domicile Order and Rules.

PTI

Jammu: A 17-year-old girl was injured after Pakistani troops fired at her when she was grazing cattle along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir”s Poonch district on Friday, officials said.

Nazia Kouser was grazing cattle ahead of the border fencing along the LoC in the Challerri area of Shahpur sector when the Pakistan army violated ceasefire and fired at her around 6 pm, they said.

She was initially treated at a hospital in Poonch and later referred to Jammu for specialised treatment, the officials said.

District Development Commissioner, Poonch, Rahul Yadav confirmed the incident and said an immediate assistance of Rs 10,000 has been given to the girl”s family.

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PTI

Jammu: A medium intensity earthquake of magnitude 4.5 hit Ladakh on Friday evening, the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) said.

According to the NCS, the quake occurred at 8.15 pm at a depth of 25 kilometres.

There were no reports of any damage, officials said.

Its epicentre was in Ladakh, the Meteorological Department said, adding that tremors were also felt in most parts of the Kashmir Valley and Kishtwar and Doda districts in Jammu region.

Doda in Jammu, Pulwama in Kashmir issue highest number of certificates

Navin Kumar Choudhary, a senior J&K cadre IAS officer from Bihar, is among the nearly 25,000 people who have been granted a domicile certificate—which allows non-locals to get a residency certificate for education, employment and buying land—in the Union Territory.

Navin Kumar Choudhary, a senior J&K cadre IAS officer from Bihar, is among the nearly 25,000 people who have been granted a domicile certificate in the Union Territory.

Choudhary became the first IAS officer who has been granted the domicile certificate to be the resident of J&K.

“This is to certify, Shri Navin K Choudhary son of Shri Deokant Choudhary resident of at present Gandhi Nagar Jammu is a domicile of UT of J&K,” reads the domicile certificate issued by Bahu Tehsildar, Rohit Sharma.

“That the applicant is eligible in terms of the following clause of Rule 5 of the Jammu and Kashmir Grant Domicile Certificate (Production) Rules, 2020,” reads certificate issued by the Government which has photograph, Aadhar Card of Choudhary.

According to J&K Grant Domicile Certificate (Production) Rules, all those who have been living in Jammu and Kashmir for more than 15 years can apply for the certificate.

Official records reveal that the government has received 33,157 applications for domicile certificates in J&K and over 25,000 people have been granted the citizenship certificate.

Srinagar is the only district which has received 65 applications for domicile certificates but not a single one has been issued as of now, reveal government documents.

The government has received nearly 32,000 applications in 10 districts of Jammu Division while as Kashmir has received only 720 applications.

In Kashmir, the highest number of domicile certificates have been issued in Pulwama (153), followed by Anantnag (106), Kulgam (90), Baramulla (39), Shopian (20), Bandipora (10), Kupwara (10), Budgam (09), Ganderbal (1) and Srinagar (0).

In Jammu, the highest number of domicile certificates—8,500—have been issued in Doda, Rajouri 6,214, Poonch 6,123 and Jammu 2,820.

Nearly 414 domicile certificates are being processed in Jammu.

Officials said hundreds of West Pakistan Refugees and Valmiki Samaj members, who were invited to Jammu in 1957 when local sanitation workers went on strike, have been granted certificates.

The administration has directed all locals to produce their Aadhaar numbers and PRCs to receive the certificate online.

If a tehsildar in Jammu and Kashmir fails to issue a domicile certificate to applicants on time, they may attract a punishment of having to forfeit up to Rs 50,000 from their salary.

Kashmir-based parties have opposed the new law, saying it is an attempt to change the demography of the J&K.

The government notified the Jammu and Kashmir Grant of Domicile Certificate (Procedure) Rules, 2020, on May 18 and allowed different categories of non-locals, including non-local government employees, to register for domicile certificates.

Prior to abrogation of Article 370 and its corollary Article 35-A on the August 5, 2019, only state subjects were allowed to buy land and apply for government jobs.

With inputs from Tribune News Service

PTI

Jammu: Police seized around 1.5 kilogram of heroin wrapped in packets marked with Pakistan markings along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district on Friday, officials said.

On a reliable input, a police team launched a search operation in the areas of Dabbi, Dhaarati and Basooni in Balakote sector after suspicious movement of some people with respect to drug peddling was noticed across the LoC near the Dabbi forest area, they said.

Another team also launched a search operation in the Dabbi forest area and it found a polythene bag lying in the bushes and covered by stones near Dabbi village, the officials added.

During the opening of the suspected material, approximately 1,500 grams of heroin was found wrapped in three packets and covered in a polythene bag which had an address of a shop in Lahore, Pakistan, they said.

A case was registered at police station Mendher in this regard, the officials said.

Amid covid-19 pandemic Jammu University has published datesheet for the students of 2nd Proff at Jammu College of Physiotherapy.

Speaking with Kashmir Today a group of students told “Even though the whole country suffering due to pandemic and everywhere all examinations are being postponed but to their astonishment University of Jammu has issued an examination datesheet, thereby adding more mental trauma to the Students, already facing tremendous hardship due the pandemic.”

“We don’t understand how come the University has published the datesheet, knowing the fact that many students hail from far flung areas, plenty are from RED ZONE areas. Even if we assume that we all are in a condition to appear for examinations but without public transport being available how come students will reach the examination venues? What about Social Distancing? How will be the invigilator be visiting each and every desk of the student appearing in the examination? What if someone infected will be presented there? All these thoughts us scare us to the core” they enquired

Students requested that keeping in mind the scenario of Covid-19 pandemic, University Administration and Higher Authorities should look into the matter and review their decision of conducting the examination, thus helping them out.

5-year-old was only son of parents among three siblings, family was planning to admit him in school this year, says uncle

Srinagar: The family members of five-year old Mehaan were desperately waiting to see the end of Covid-19 pandemic to admit their lone son in a reputed school. Little did they know that the wheel of fate would catapult in a way that they would have to mourn the death of their only hope before his admission in any school.

Muhammad Yaseen Bhat, a physical education teacher at a school in Bijbeheara in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district, took his son Mehaan to market to buy clothes for him. “I was in the market, and all of a sudden there was heavy firing. Everybody ran for cover, so did we.

My son couldn’t run, when I looked at him, I saw blood oozing from his right shoulder. I opened his shirt, I found he was hit by a bullet,” Bhat told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) in a broken voice, adding that “I cried for help, and somehow managed to take my son to Sub district hospital Bijbehera, where after treating my son for a few minutes, doctors declared him dead.”

He said one bullet snatched his entire world. “Mehaan was my only son among three siblings. I have two daughters. He was my world, I lost my everything today,” said Bhat.

Shabir Ahmad Bhat, uncle of Mehaan said that his nephew insisted his father take him along to a market in Bijbehara. “Father accepted his lone son’s request and they left for Bijbehara from Munchew area which is about 20 Kms from Bijbehara town,” said Shabir adding that after over an hour, they heard that there was an attacked Bijbehara.

“We tried the phone number of Yaseen many times but he didn’t respond. We thought that he would be busy in his office,” said Shabir. “After few minutes a photo of Mehaan in an injured condition went viral on social media, that is how we came to know about what actually had happened.”

After some time, he said they got a call that Mehaan was no more. “Mehaan’s mother fell unconscious and is dumbstruck not able to speak a word. She is a deep shock,” said Shabir.

He said that Mehaan who was the lone son of Yaseen was yet to take admission in school and has left behind his two elder sisters and parents. A CRPF man was also killed in the attack by militants where Mehaan sustained fatal injury.

The little Mehaan was laid to rest in his native village Munchew at around 4 Pm amid sobs and tears. Women could be seen wailing over the body of budding flower—(KNO)

Srinagar: At least 151 air travellers who have tested positive out of 47500 passengers who arrived at Srinagar International Airport after resumption of air traffic

Talking to news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Dr. Qazi Haroon, OSD Director Health Services Kashmir, said that only 151 among them have tested positive till Thursday evening.

“A total of 47, 891 travelers have arrived at Srinagar international Airport after resumption of flights,” he said, adding that number of travellers who tested positive belong to different districts of Kashmir.

In the wake of outbreak of deadly COVID-19, the government had suspended the domestic flight operations across India for nearly three months. The operations resumed on May 25—(KNO)

Ladakh: A top political leader, Ghulam Hassan Khan, in Union Territory of Ladakh Friday termed the China’s move in eastern Ladakh as “highly unfortunate” and said the outcome won’t be beneficial for any of the country and even if China captures land of Indian Territory that won’t affect the local population in may manner.

Haji Ghulam Hassan Khan, former Member Parliament for Ladakh, who represents Jammu and Kashmir National Conference believes that the history has left the land between India and China un-demarcated that’s why the encroachment keeps happening.

Talking to news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the veteran politician Khan said that neither a war nor a standoff will serve us any purpose but the claims and counter-claims about the sovereignty were being made for past so many years now only because the area has no demarcated border line.

He said it’s not a demarcated border, but there is no panic among the local population at the moment as the exact spot of face-off between India and China is an far off site area where only moving nomads go which is almost 300 kilometers away from Leh town.

“People entirely have no panic but all are very concerned about the tensions and want all this not to happen,” Khan told KNO.

He refrained from commenting about the actual situation on border stating, “I don’t know what exactly is happening at border and we can’t say how all this happened since when it’s told that 43 Chinese soldiers were killed and India lost 20 in a violent faceoff and if there are clashes casualties will be suffered from both the sides.”

Government is doing whatever is required and army on ground level is looking at the entire situation and are going on as per the situation demand since its un-demarcated border tensions keep arising there, he said. Former MP said even though China alleges India of entering into their territory and sometimes India accuses them, it’s all because the border is not demarcated.

Blaming the past history for the land not being demarked, he said history is to be blamed for no demarcation of the border between India and China so that’s why we can’t say this line of control belongs to either of the countries.

Talking about China’s claim of sovereignty, he said it can’t be said as to how much of the Indian Territory China has captured. “We can’t say as it’s absolutely not known yet,” he said.

He said at present the claims are entirely being made on basis of satellite image’s only. “We have to believe the government version also since there is no access in the area even the civilians don’t reside there so we have to believe the government version,” Khan said.

He also said Indian government has said China didn’t enter our territory so we have to say probably they (China) haven’t.

To a question about the impact and effect if India loses land to china he said, there won’t be any sort of impact or effect on our local population as only moving nomads live there and there is no village or residential house that belong to any of the local—(KNO)