Category: Union Territory

Bandipora: Amid the growing number of COVID positive cases in the district, the district administration has launched a massive COVID-19 Health Audit in the district under which health workers will meet every individual of the district and enquire about her/his well being.

Deputy Commissioner, Bandipora Shahbaz Ahmad Mirza informed that the survey is being conducted to break the chain of Coronavirus in the district.

Giving details, DC that said under the level one, 300 Booth Area level Group (BAG) teams have been constituted comprising of a Booth Level Worker, Anganwari and Aasha worker. He said the teams will visit every household and will enquire about the well being of every individual, HE said the teams will update the health status of every individual on mobile “Swasthya Nidhi App”.

Appealing people to cooperate with the teams to win this fight against Corona virus, Mirza said the teams will visit every household to check symptoms of virus, if any, following which a medical team (Level-II) will visit that particular household to check suspected patients, if any.

He added that the teams will also create awareness among the masses about the symptoms and precautions besides informing them about Health App Arogya Setu, which will help the people to remain updated about the pandemic and also help them in self assessing themselves regarding COVID19.

Mirza appealed the people to download the Aarogya Setu mobile app to help them in identifying risk of contracting the Corona virus. He said the people can also use the app to alert authorities, if they have come in close contact with a person infected with the deadly virus besides, the app will inform people if there is any symptomatic patient in their vicinity.

Srinagar: A 72-year-old man became the sixth COVID-19 fatality in Jammu and Kashmir even as 42 new cases of novel coronavirus were confirmed on Saturday in Kashmir Valley, the biggest one day spike since the outbreak started.

Among the fresh cases include two pregnant women besides mother and her two minor sons as well as three policemen.

The government attributed the increase in the positive cases to the testing of over 1000 samples in last 24-hours, the first time since the coming of the novel coronavirus.

“Finally J&K breaks the 1000 test barrier- 1071 samples tested in the last 24 hours. But that also means more positives,” Principal Secretary Information and government spokesman Rohit Kansal tweeted.

Officials sources said of the among 42 cases, 28 were confirmed at Viral Diagnostic Lab of SKIMS Soura and include seven from Bandipora, three from Shopian as many as from Baramulla and one from Kupwara district.

The bulk of the cases—28—were confirmed at the COVID-19 testing laboratory at Chest Disease hospital Dalgate and include 23 from Anantnag district and five from Srinagar. While these cases have pushed the J&K COVID-19 tally to 496, 116 were confirmed in the last four days alone.

The weekend started with the “unfortunate” death of a septuagenarian patient from Qazipora Tangmarg in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district. He died at SKIMS hospital Bemina here, making it the fifth death in Kashmir and overall 6th fatality due to the novel coronavirus in J&K.

The elderly, they said, had tested positive for the dreaded disease earlier this month and admitted to the hospital on April 13 with underlying ailments such as pneumonia, hypertension and other “comorbidities.”

“He was admitted to the high dependency unit. He was pneumonia, hypertensive, AF and BCH patient,” Dr Shafa A Deva, Medical Superintendent SKIMS Bemina told GNS. “He was shifted to ICU yesterday where he died,” the doctor said.

Regarding 23 fresh cases from Anantnag, a senior doctor told GNS that five of them belong to a single family from Kulail—30-year-old female, 60-year-old woman, 30-year-old man, 35-year-old male and 60-year-old male— besides 39-year-old woman, her two sons— aged 4 and 7-years-old—from Kulial. Both pregnant women are also from Anantnag—30-year-old from Mukhdampora and 26-year-old from Nowgam. The other cases from the southern Kashmir district include 8-year-old female from Kanilwan, 10 persons from Kharpora—six females (aged 15, 16, 18, 40, 48, and 60) and four males—aged 19, 52, 62 and 65—while one person—46-year-old man is from Pushroo.

Regarding seven cases from Bandipora, sources said, they include four males—aged 23, 31, 43 and 80—and three females—aged 15, 32 and 60. Being contacts of previous patients, four of them are from Naidkhai, two from Gund Kaiser and one from Gund Jahangir, CMO Bandipora Dr Tajamul Hussain told GNS.

Five cases were reported from Srinagar after break of more than a week and they include two residents of Bemina—60-year-old man and 55-year-old female from Bemina besides one each from Takanwaripora, Nishat and Gulab Bagh areas.

“New MHA order allows local authorities to take call per situation. See the Covid map of Srinagar and think. We’ve 5 new cases after break of more than a week. Trust us for all your needs. Local solutions being worked out. Situation calls for more caution,” deputy commissioner Srinagar, Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary tweeted.

The Shopian cases are from Heerpora, a small village comprising around 1000 households and include 65-year-old and 40-year-old women besides 19-year-old male. With these cases, Heerpora now has 48 COVID-19 patients even as a few among them have recovered.

Baramulla district’s three cases are policemen—two of them aged 40-years-old each from Malpora Sheeri who are uncle of a previous patient, also a cop. The duo is posted at District Police Lines Baramulla while the third case is 50-year-old, a resident of Takiya Sultan and is posted in DIG office Baramulla.

Deputy Commissioner Baramulla Dr GN Itoo told GNS that samples of all other policemen posted at DPL (photo section) as well as DIG office have returned negative and “there was no need to panic.” “They all were already in quarantine,” he said.

The last case was reported from Kupwara, a 50-year-old male who is a healthcare worker from Ganipora, Handwara.

“One health care worker from Gonipora earlier deployed at COVID Hospital Kupwara has tested positive today. The patient is already under isolation and primary contacts are being shifted to quarantine for sampling. All other samples for today including those from Red Zone Anderhama have tested negative. Total Active Cases for Kupwara stand at 38 now,” deputy commissioner tweeted.

CMO Kupwara Dr Kounser Amin told GNS that two persons including the first COVID-19 patient from Anderhama Muqam-e-Shahwali have recovered and were discharged.

With these fresh cases, Bandipora now has 115 COVID-19 patients, highest in all districts, followed by Srinagar (84), Shopian (63), Baramulla (55), Kupwara (46), Anantnag (38), Jammu (26), Udhampur (20), Ganderbal (14), Budgam (14), Kulgam (6), Rajouri (4), Samba (4), Pulwama (3) while Kathua, Kishtwar and Ramban districts have one case each.

Meanwhile, according to officials, out of the positive cases, 378 are Active Positive, 112 have recovered and while six patients died so far.

Furthermore, till date 66343 travellers and persons in contact with suspected cases have been enlisted for surveillance which includes 6324 persons in-home quarantine including facilities operated by government, 263 in Hospital Quarantine, 376 in hospital isolation and 10974 under home surveillance. Besides, 48400 persons have completed their surveillance period.

Officials said that out of 12835 test results available, 12341 samples have tested as negative till April 25.

Moreover, 03 more COVID-19 patients have recovered and discharged, 01 from SKIMS Soura and 02 from CD Hospital Jammu. (GNS)

Srinagar: To enforce strict lockdown for safety of general public, J&K administration has decided to conduct burial of killed militants at safer and isolated places onwards. In this regard families of the slain militants will be provided passes by concerned Deputy Commissioners to facilitate their presence in last rites in presence of Magistrates.

According to Kashmir News Service (KNS), Government of India and Union Territory of J&K have issued several directions for enforcement of strict lockdown for the safety of general public in view of combating the spread of Covid-19 pandemic.

After Covid-19 outbreak across J&K, administration has taken strong note of huge gatherings, funerals and burials of militants killed in Arwani, DH Pora and Sopore areas during lockdown period where militant sympathizers instigated mobs towards violence.

“Besides security agencies, health authorities also took note of these incidents as there were genuine apprehensions of mass transmission of Corona Virus during such gatherings”, sources told. They added, “It has been learnt that few militants have also been infected by the virus”.

They said in order to ensure health security of the people at large, the administration has decided to conduct burial of militants at safer and isolated places during which proper procedure of burials will be followed such as conduct of Post Mortem and lifting DNA samples of killed militants prior to their burial in accordance with religious customs.

Sources said that the families who identify and claim the bodies of killed militants are being provided passes by concerned DC’s in order to facilitate their participation in last rites in presence of Magistrates.

They said the same procedure was earlier followed at central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district where respective families participated in last rites of three killed militants.

According to sources, unidentified militants are also being buried in accordance with the religious customs in presence of Magistrates.

Sources said that allowing funerals at native places of killed militants would lead to the breakdown of the strict protocols of lockdown thereby endangering the health and wellbeing of the community at large. They said such examples of breach were witnessed during the burials of militants in Sopore, Arwani and DH Pora.

Sources added that using force to disperse such gatherings on such occasions would only lead to significantly worse outcomes. Therefore, to avoid such situations, the measures being taken are purely in the interest of the people. (KNS)

Urges Home Minister to revoke CFO’s appointment, declare results of banking associates and POs

SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) President Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Saturday took a strong exception to procedure and criteria adopted for appointment of people to the top posts in J&K Bank. He said there seems to be a sinister design to dilute J&K Bank’s functional autonomy.

In a statement issued here, Bukhari described a recent order by virtue of which a non-domicile of J&K has been appointed to the post of Chief Financial Officer of the J&K Bank, an unprecedented move aimed at playing with the economic aspirations of people of Jammu and Kashmir.

“I am told that the government at helm in J&K has clandestinely amended the recruitment rules after August 5, 2019 and has created a window for the appointment of non residents of J&K especially to the top posts of J&K Bank. This is totally unacceptable because any such recruitment is illegal and in violation of Domicile law for J&K,” Bukhari said and demanded immediate revocation of the order issued on April 23, 2020 by virtue of which a non domicile of J&K has been appointed to a top post of the Bank.

The JKAP president remarked that there seems to be a pattern to appoint and promote people to the top posts while discarding the requirements of Domicile Law for such appointments in the J&K Bank. “I call upon the union home minister to intervene into the matter and take cognizance of how the post of CFO was advertized and later filled up throwing the Domicile Law to winds,” Bukhari pleaded.

He averred that it has happened for the first time that ‘officiating’ executive presidents in J&K Bank have been designated and that too without informing or seeking consent from the RBI.

“For appointment of Executive Presidents the government had to go by merit including interviews and seniority but I am told that all the eligible candidates for these posts were not called for the interview. This is totally illegal,” he said, and demanded the designations of three executive presidents should now be confirmed by the RBI.

Bukhari also demanded that the JK Bank should declare results of over 150000 aspirants who had appeared for examination for the posts of banking associates and probationary officers but are waiting for the results for the last over two years. “Two years after a three-phase-examination process conducted in Governor S.P Malik’s tenure, which drove lakhs of qualified aspirants to examination centres, the present dispensation is unnecessarily delaying its results,” Bukhari remarked.

The JKAP president opined that the JK Bank, as a pristine financial institution had assumed tremendous significance and the people from all regions of Jammu and Kashmir were proud of it.

“But sadly there is an unwarranted and extra ordinary interference which has limited the functioning of this prestigious bank to a government treasury. This illegal interference has caused immense sufferings to the people especially the farmers, horticulturists, traders, businessmen, hoteliers, restaurant owners, houseboat owners, gold associations, transporters, manufacturers, small, medium and big industrial units and other allied sectors of trade and commerce who are the basic pillars of economy of Jammu and Kashmir,” Bukhari said.

Bukhari said that Jammu and Kashmir Bank is one of the most iconic institutions nurtured by sons of the soil whose legend in financial matters and contribution in its phenomenal growth was acknowledged by the former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and late finance minister Shri. Arun Jaitely, at various occasions.

“Regrettably, with unwanted meddling, this Bank has now adopted a bureaucratic approach which is continuing to plague its’ functioning. Hasty declaration of Non Performing Assets (NPAs), stopping settlement process, halting advances and above all persecution and harassment of its clients are few consequences of an intrusive approach of people at the helms of its affairs. This scenario needs to be changed. More so, if the present dispensation is serious in revival of shattered economy of Jammu and Kashmir,” Bukhari observed.

Bukhari said that the RBI had also allowed the banks to go for restructuring and rehabilitation of stress accounts to save them from turning into non performing assets. “Unfortunately, this has also turned out to be a half-hearted exercise by the J&K Bank. The business community is a worst hit sector in J&K, and concrete steps are required for revival of this sector,” he advocated.

Bukhari also emphasized on the need to run J&K Bank professionally and all its decisions be taken by the professionals only rather than the bureaucrats who disappointingly don’t see a reason to empathize with the suffering masses of the region.

“People who have recovered from the disease would be saving lives by donating their plasma,”

Srinagar: Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) on Saturday appealed recovered coronavirus patients to donate plasma that can be used to treat serious cases of COVID-19.

“People who have recovered from the disease would be saving lives by donating their plasma,” said DAK President Dr Nisar ul Hassan.
“Plasma therapy involves the transfusion of plasma from a recovered patient to a critical patient,” he said.

“The therapy is based on the premise that blood of a patient who has recovered from COVID-19 contains antibodies with the specific ability to fight the novel virus and help the critical patient to recover,” he added.
Dr Nisar said convalescent plasma therapy is showing promising results and has become a ray of hope in the fight against the novel coronavirus pandemic.

“Citing a study from China, he said plasma therapy was given to ten COVID-19 patients and the results were promising.

“Countries like US, Iran and UK are already using plasma therapy with success,” he added.

He further said plasma therapy has shown encouraging results on four coronavirus patients in Delhi.
Dr Nisar said the process of donating plasma is similar to donating blood and takes about an hour.

“The donor is connected to a cell-separating machine, also called apheresis machine that removes plasma, while simultaneously returning the remaining components (red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets) to the donor,” he said.

“Both SMHS and SKIMS hospitals have these machines in place,” he added.
Dr Nisar said plasma can be donated more frequently as compared to blood. It can be donated as often as twice a week.

“Plasma from one person can be used in recovering two infected persons,” he said.

Dr Nisar said an antibody titer of at least 1:160 in the plasma of a donor is considered to be adequate for transfusion.

“The number of the helpful antibodies rise steadily in the bloodstream of a recovered patient and peaks between 21 and 28 days after recovery,” he said.

Srinagar: In biggest single day spike, Kashmir Valley recorded 40 fresh cases in last 24 hours, officials said.

A senior government officer told GNS that 14 cases were confirmed at Viral Diagnostic Lab at SKIMS and 26 others at Chest Disease Hospital Dalgate.

Among the fresh cases include:

21 from Anantnag, 05 from Srinagar, 07 from Bandipora, 03 each from Baramulla and Shopian while one is from Kupwara.

With these fresh cases, the total number of cases has risen to 494 in Jammu and Kashmir.

6 of them have died including a 72-year old man today.

109 cases have also recovered.

(GNS)

PTI

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir government has revoked the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) against 28 people lodged in jails within and outside the Union territory, officials said on Saturday.

A prominent name to figure in the list is Mohammad Yasin Khan, head of the Kashmir Traders and Manufacturing Federation (KTMF) and the Kashmir Economic Alliance (KEA), they added.

Hundreds of people, including mainstream leaders, were detained and booked under the PSA after August 5 last year when the Centre revoked the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcate it into Union territories.

Several of them, including former chief ministers Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah, were recently released.

However, other mainstream leaders who continue to be in detention include former chief minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, NC general secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar and former minister Naeem Akhtar.

Srinagar: On an average a militant was killed every day in Jammu and Kashmir in the first three weeks of current April month.

From past 24 days, 23 militants have been killed in erstwhile state.
These militants were killed in Kharbatapora Kulgam, Keran, Armpora Sopore, Keegam and Melhora Shopian, Dachen Kishtwar, Kharpora Bijbehara and Goripora Pulwama. Some of the militants killed were top Commanders.

April witnessed the highest number of militant casualties. The number stands at 23. In January 17 militants were killed while 8 were neutralized in February and 7 in March.

“On an average a militant was killed every day in Valley this month. We neutralized 23 militant this month and it is really a big success. Besides, large number militant sympathizers have been apprehended,” said a police official to KNT.

The ongoing month witnessed 41 casualties. “Besides 23 militants, 11 government forces personnel including 5 soldiers, 4 troopers and 2 policemen and 7 civilians were killed in first three week of the ongoing month.

Among the 7 civilians killed this month, three became prey of cross border shelling. (KNT)

Srinagar: The death toll due to novel coronavirus or Covid-19 rose to six in Jammu and Kashmir after one more patient died of the infection on Saturday morning.

Coordinator for Coronavirus at JVC SKIMS Bemina, Dr Nouman Nazir told KNT that an elderly man from Tangmarg area of North Kashmir’s Baramulla district Covid-19 positive patient died at JVC SKIMS hospital in Srinagar on Saturday morning. He said the patient had admitted in the hospital on 13 April this month.

As per the details, the patient belonged to Tangmarg area of North Kashmir and was tested positive for Covid-19.

Jammu and Kashmir had recorded first death due to Covid-19 on March 25 when a 65-year-old Tableegi preacher from Hyderpora succumbed to the novel coronavirus infection at CD hospital.

Then, on March 29, a 50-year-old man from Tangmarg area had passed away at CD hospital.

Earlier this month, a 54-year-old Covid-19 patient, from Bandipora, had died at SMHS hospital.

Later on April 8, a 61-year-old lady from Udhampur died at GMC, Jammu.

Then a 70 year old man from Armpora Sopore died at Chest Disease hospital.

The number of Covid-19 positive cases in Jammu and Kashmir has now surged past 400-mark with five deaths reported so far. (KNT)