Category: Union Territory

  • Covid-19: Form committees in every area to help poor, destitute in this hour of crisis : MMU, AeA Jamia appeals people

    Srinagar, Mar 24: Mutahida Majlis-e-Ulema, an amalgam of various religious bodies in Kashmir and Anjuman-e-Auqaaf Jamia Masjid on Tuesday urged people across Kashmir to form Mohalla committees and to collect Baitul Mall(charity) for helping poor and destitute in the present challenging times.

    The MMU and Auqaf urged people to form small groups of youth volunteers in every area who would identify the families who are in dire need of food and other essential commodities.

    A spokesman of Mutahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU) told wire service—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the lock-down imposed by the government in a bid to prevent spread of pandemic Covid-19 has triggered a crisis in Kashmir as a large chunk of people including labourers, orphans, widows and other downtrodden people are in a dire need of monetary support and other essential things needed to survive.

    “We request people across the Valley to form small groups of youth volunteers under the patronage of area/village elders to identify the needy and help them by raising Baitul-Maal on daily basis,” he said.

    Similar views were expressed by the spokesman of Anjuman-e-Auqaaf Jamia Masjid Srinagar who stated that in the present challenging times, there is a need of taking care of poor and needy. ” In Kashmir there are hundreds of families who are in need and may be on the verge of starvation.

    The panic triggered by the Pandemic Covid 19 has added to miseries of these people. So it’s the collective duty of people of Kashmir to extend a helping hand to these people who are in dire need of support at this juncture,” he said, adding that every Mohalla/Locality must have a team of volunteers who would collect essential items like rice , edibles, oil , gas and other items for the families in need—(KNO)

  • The Saudi government has indicated that this year the Hajj may be cancelled.

    The Saudi government has indicated that this year the Hajj – 2020 may be cancelled.

    They conveyed all Hajj Facilitating Companies to wait for sometime and not to make any deal with any hotel, trainer or ticket agencies. Untill any official decision made.

    Watch Video:

  • Former J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah likely to be released today

    Srinagar: Former J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah likely to be released today after almost 8 months in detention. Farooq Abdullah, his father, was released few days ago in Srinagar, Kashmir.

  • No reports of Covid-19’s airborne spread: WHO

    The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Monday denied the claim made on social media that the Covid-19 could be airborne.

    In a statement, Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO (Southeast Asia), said, “Airborne spread has not been reported for Covid-19. Based on the information and on our experience with other coronaviruses, Covid-19 appears to spread mostly through respiratory droplets, for instance produced when a sick person coughs, and close contact.”

    “This is why WHO recommends maintaining hand and respiratory hygiene.”

    The Chinese authorities had reported that there could be a possibility of aerosol transmission in a relatively closed environment with prolonged exposure to high concentration of aerosols, like in ICUs and CCUs in hospitals, but more investigations and analysis of epidemiological data was needed to understand this mode of transmission, the WHO official said.

    Addressing the media at WHO headquarters on Monday, Maria Van Kerkhove, Infectious Disease Epidemiologist and Covid-19 Technical Lead of WHO, said Covid-19 was not airborne. “It spreads via droplet and contact transmission,” she said.

    For healthcare workers, WHO had always recommended droplet precautions, except when performing aerosol generating procedures, where we recommend airborne precautions, she said.

    When diseases and viruses are transmitted as very small particles by air currents, it’s called airborne germ transmission. In this case infection is transmitted from one person to another by droplets of moisture expelled from the upper respiratory tract through sneezing or coughing. It’s known as droplet infection.

  • 28 girls from Islamic University of Science & Technology, Awantipora Quarantined

    28 girls from Islamic University of Science & Technology, Awantipora were undergoing internship at CIPHET, Ludhiana. A mandatory training period in their University Academic Course.

    Due to the pandemic COVID-19 and Health Emergency Alert across the nation, students were informed to leave the CIPHET, Ludhiana campus.

    Inmates of Gujjar Bakerwal Hostel Pulwama have no facilities

    During their journey back to Valley they were frisked at Lakhanpor Checkpost.

    Although didn’t possess any foreign travel record and passed the thermal screening test very well, but still they being kept under quarantine at “Gujar Bakarwal Girls Hostel, Kathua” which the students complaint is in shambles.

    Speaking with Kashmir Today students complained that they couldn’t even enter the alloted unhygienic rooms and preferred to stay in Buses only.

    Students request Srinagar administration to look into the matter and get them safely back into the Valley were they are ready to stay in Quarantine if so required.

  • Kashmiri students in Bangladesh asked to leave; they urge J&K govt, MEA to evacuate them

    Will take up issue with GoI: Baseer Khan

    Srinagar, Mar 23: While the government has suspended international flights in India in wake of coronavirus pandemic, scores of Kashmiri students in Bangladesh say they have been asked to leave. They appealed External Affairs Minister to intervene and also issued an appealed to west Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to open borders for them and let them to India so that they can go home.

    “We are around 80 students from different colleges, stuck here (in Bangladesh) and have been asked by the administration to evict the hostel with immediate effect,” a student of Eastern Medical College Comilla told GNS over phone.

    “We urge the Government of Jammu and Kashmir and Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Government of India to take immediate measures in bringing us back to Kashmir,” the student said, flanked by others, said.

    The students said that in wake of suspension of international flights in India, they must be allowed to enter India through border. “We urge Chief Minister of West Bengal to let us in through border.”

    When contacted, Advisor to LG Baseer Khan said he will look into the matter.

    “I will take up the issue with the Government of India as well as authorities in Bangladesh and will put in all efforts to bring these students back at the earliest,” Khan said. (GNS)

  • KEA, KTMF support Govt lockdown

    Ask essential service customers to maintain social distance

    Srinagar, Mar 23: The Kashmir Economic Alliance (KEA) and the Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Federation (KTMF) Monday welcomed the government decision of lockdown in Jammu and Kashmir till March 31 in the wake of coronavirus pandemic.

    According to wire service—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), in a joint statement, the KEA Media Head Farhan Kitab said: “Amid this global crises, the JK government has taken the right decision and the right moment and we as responsible citizens not only need to welcome it but help in its successful implementation to keep the deadly coronavirs away.”

    Kitab appealed the organizations affiliated with the KEA to adhere to the government order in letter and spirit. “The lockdown is for the collective cause of humanity and we need to respect its enforcement.”

    Kitab appealed that only the shops selling essentials remain open and observe safety protocol like use of sanitizers. The KTMF acting President Manzoor Bhat has appealed the customers coming to shops selling essentials to maintain social distance.

    Bhat also appealed Advisor Baseer Khan to make administration ensure that shops selling essentials remain open throughout the day so that there’s no undue rush of shoppers in the evening hours.

    Bhat appealed the people to every precaution to stay away from this deadly disease. The KTMF and KEA have hailed the Lieutenant Governor GC Murmu and Chief Secretary in particular for implementing the lockdown

  • Tral resident booked for keeping non locals in his home without screening

    Srinagar March 23 : Police has registered a case against a resident of Tral in Pulwama district for keeping non locals in his house without screening.
    Sources said the Tral resident had kept 31 non locals in his house without proper screening.
    A police official told Kashmir Indepth News Service that he had transported them to Valley without screening or medical formalities.
    Police on Monday carried out a raid. He was arrested and booked under sections 188 for violating 144 crpc section in the subdivision Tral and 34 Disaster Management Act.

  • Before 1947, thousands of lives were devoured by epidemics in J&K

    Inspection posts were set-up at Kohala bridge, Domel, Uri to screen visitors, there was hardly any house where deaths were not reported: British medico on 1892 cholera

    Srinagar, Mar 23: Amid scare over outbreak of Coronavirus, a throwback at history reveals that thousands of lives have been devoured by deadly epidemic diseases in Jammu & Kashmir before 1947.

    According to records accessed by the wire service—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the deadly epidemics frequented J&K before 1947 due to imported diseases, unsanitary conditions and absence of adequate health facilities. Harvey, who was deputed by the British India, to the investigate deadly epidemic cholera of 1892 in J&K, writes that past history of cholera in Kashmir is imperfect and no information can be obtained from state records.

    “Twenty thousand persons are said to have died of it in Srinagar, the capital, in 1846. There was severe outbreak in 1867 after the great fair at Haridwar and another bad epidemic in 1879. In 1888, 10000 people are estimated to have died, of whom 3500 were in Srinagar,” reads the record note of sixth general meeting of British Medical Association held in Nottingham in July 1892.

    About the 1892 epidemic, Harvey says the first case in Kashmir was reported on April 24 at Domel( Gilgit- Baltistan) where the two roads from Pindi and Hazara met.

    He says that 5376 deaths were reported in Srinagar in 1892 due to the deadly disease. “The total number of registered cases in Srinagar was 8928 and of deaths 5736, out of population of 124000,” he states.

    According to him, the highest number of cholera cases was recorded in Srinagar on May 23 and highest number of deaths on May 28. “Every part of the city suffered and there was hardly a house where there was not one- or many- dead, while families were swept away,” Harvey states.

    According to records, the plague of 1903-1904 also devoured several hundred lives in Kashmir. A.M. Mitra, then Chief Medical Officer of Kashmir, states that first case of plague came to Kashmir in 1903 from Rawalpinidi. “There were arrangements for examination of travelers coming to Kashmir from Jammu and from Rawalpindi. One case, very probably of plague, coming from Rawalpindi, died near Uri, 60 miles from Srinagar, on 8th October 1903 and was cremated there. Soon after this elaborate arrangements for disinfection of clothes by disinfector were about to be made at Uri when on the 13th November a Tonga with a veiled native woman and two servants passed Uri.

    In this Tonga came the first case of plague in Kashmir. The inspectors failed to detect the disease. The order to them was to take the temperature of every traveler(sic).

    Their subsequent report showed that all the occupants of the tonga at the time of inspection had normal temperature,” he says. He says the plague lasted in Kashmir from November 1903 to August 1904.

    “In the city of Srinagar its duration was for one and a half month only; the total number of cases were 56, all fatal. In the districts there were altogether 1,443 cases with 20 recoveries,” Mitra writes,according to KNO.

    As per records, whenever epidemic broke out, the authorities would observe quarantine measures to prevent spread of the disease in J&K.

    The government would set-up inspection posts at Kohala Bridge (gateway of Muzaffarbad, Domel (Gilgit Baltistan), Baramulla, Uri to screen those entering Jammu and Kashmir, the records In 1875, 1,385 persons were detained at Kohala post for eight days to prevent outbreak of cholera in J&K—(KNO)

  • Observe complete civil curfew till April 1: KCCI to people

    Srinagar March 23: Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries (KCCI) has appealed people to observe complete civil curfew till April 1 2020 to stop spreading of Corona (Covid 19) virus in J&K.
    “We have taken pledge to be alongside with government administration to eradicate this virus from J&K. But Government needs to take some steps immediately for ensuring smooth lockdown,” President KCCI Sheikh Ashiq said in a statement to Kashmir Indepth News Service. “They need to ensure that ample foodstuff , baby food ,medicines etc are available in the localities and people shouldn’t strive for it . They should immediately restore 4G internet so that people would get updated information and advisories regarding this Pandemic,” the statement said.

    He said government should provide free ration at doorsteps to the people under BPL categories.He demanded extention of dates for filing legal compliances and other statuary reports by at least a quater or till situation gets normal.

    “Moreover we request all the essential item shops and stores not to indulge in black marketing by escalating prices .Though our offices will be closed as a part of our lockdown initiative but our emergency contact numbers : +91 9596533799 +91 7889389263+91 9419040620 +91 9419004218,” the statement said.

    Moreover KCCI has urged business community in particular and public at large to come forward with their contributions and donations in The KCC&I Relief Trust for helping poor and needy patients to procure medicines and other necessary items. “THE KCCI RELIEF TRUST,ACCOUNT NO. 0005010100007306IFSC CODE : JAKA0CHINARJAMMU & KASHMIR BANK LIMITED,RESIDENCY ROAD, SRINAGAR. We also urge our people not to come out unnecessarily or assemble on the roads or in grounds during the time the GOVT advisories are in place. We would also like to salute our doctors, paramedical staff , Govt administration and others for working tirelessly day and night to save precious lives,” the statement added.