Category: Union Territory

Airlines should announce while landing, Taking off Airlines the name of Sheikh-ul-Alam Airport: Renzushah

Srinagar: Today while returning from Delhi to Srinagar in Go Air Airlines, the chairman Kashmir Society Khwaja Farooq Renzushah who was onboard expressed his happiness when Go Air Airlines while landing at Sheikh-ul-Alam Airport at Srinagar made an explicit announcement and informed hundreds of tourists that they are landing at Sheikh-ul-Alam Airport at Srinagar.

According to a statement issued to KNS, Even senior officials of the government/administration were also present there. Kashmir Society which has started the campaign of naming Srinagar Airport as Sheikh-ul-Alam International Airport Eleven years before had succeeded in it when in 2006/7 all official websites of Air India and Airport Authority of India accepted this name for the Airport. At that time Farooq  Renzushah was D.C Budgam who according to rules had competence to approve the names falling within his jurisdiction. Srinagar Airport at that time was within his jurisdiction and accordingly, the name was accepted. Even boards of Sheikh-ul-Alam were displayed on the Airport. Air India/Indian Airlines continued to name this Airport in the name of Holly Saint who is revered not only at state or national level but at international level also. During the recent few years the Airport Authority of India and other Airlines has wittingly or unwittingly forgotten this name. Kashmir Society re-launched its campaign and approached various authorities. The respected personalities, institutions issues frequent statements in this behalf. On the Urs Shareef of Sheikh-ul-Alam the Mirvaiz Chraar Shareef Shrine reiterated this demand. Mufti Bashir-ud-Din chairman Muslim Personal Law Board also issued various statements in this connection. Today Kashmir Society felicitated the people and the organizations as well as Go Air for remembering and reciting the original name of the Airport. Kashmir Society makes humble appeal to the airlines to understand the importance of this name given to the Airport and do not avoid announcing the same name while landing and taking off of their respective Aircraft.

‘Kashmiri youth will never allow their sacrifices to go in vain’

Srinagar: The United Jehad Council (UJC)  today convened an important meeting chaired by Syed Sallahuddin, the UJC chief and Supreme Commander of Hizbul Mujahideen.

In a tele statement issued to KNS, the UJC meeting paid glowing tributes three slain militants who were killed in an encounter in Tral areas of South Kashmir.

Addressing the meeting, Sallahuddin assured that sacrifices offered by Kashmiri youth will not be allowed to go in vain and these sacrifices will surely yield ‘positive results’ for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. “The youth of Jammu and Kashmir are ready to offer any kind of sacrifices and they will never allow anybody to compromise on the Kashmir issue,’ Saleem Hashmi, Hizb spokesman said while quoting Sallhuddin.

“The UJC chief has also clarified that the Kashmiri militants are still a vibrant force to reckon with and the latest encounter in which three militants were killed is enough to substantiate the argument,” Hashmi said. He said the militants are ready to face tough times and no adverse situation can break their resolve. “The UJC chief also condemned authorities for booking Masrat Alam under PSA for the sixth time in a row. Re-arrest of Masrat Saheb and the action on part of the administration to book him again under PSA has further eroded the credibility of judicial system among people of Kashmir,” Hashmi said while quoting the UJC chief. The UJC has appealed Bar Association to mobilize opinion and work on what it called ‘apathetic treatment and the rampant misuse of PSA’ against Hurriyat leaders. “These actions can not break our resolve,” the UJC chief has said according to Hashmi.  

Srinagar: A large delegation of Sikh Community drawn from various  parts of Kashmir Valley, such as Beerwah, Tral, Baramulla and Budgam met Prof. Saifuddin Soz President Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee here today.

According to a statement issued to KNS, the delegation was led by Senior Congress Leader Nazir Ahmad Khan – Beerwah. The Sikh Community leaders highlighted their two main demands:- The Sikh Community demands  that the Election under  the  Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee Act should be organized very immediately as under the Act It’s incumbent on the Government to organize  such elections. The Delegation regretted that the Elections were not held since 2008 and it’s a deplorable fact. The Sikh Community leaders also highlighted  other genuine demand  that Sikhs in  J&K should be declared as a minority community and relief should be provided to them in various ways as they deserve the same. Prof. Soz assured  them that both  these demands would be brought to the notice of INC – NC Coordination Committee very soon.

Srinagar: LeT District Commander Naveed Jat alias Abu Hanzullah a Pakistani militant was apprehended from a hideout in a joint operation of Kulgam police, 62 RR and 18 Bn CRPF in Kulgam.

According to a statement issued to KNS, acting on a tip off, Kulgam Police, 62 RR and 18 Bn CRPF cordoned off the Shampora village, in the jurisdiction of Police station Yaripora. During the search, the joint search party apprehended LeT Deputy Chief Naveed Jat @ Abu Hanzullah alias Munnu alias Chotu son of Mohammad Hanief Jat resident of Sahiwala, Multan Punjab Pakistan.

01 AK-47 riffle, 02 AK-47 Magazines, 60 AK-47 rounds and 01 Pouches was recovered from his possession. Naveed was self styled District Commander of LeT Outfit for District Shopian and close associate of LeT Chief Abu Qasim. He was operating in the area for the last two years and was involved in the killing of two policemen near the District Court complex, Pulwama and the recent firing on a police party at Shopian in which five police personnel were injured.

Srinagar: A bullet riddle body of a LeT militant was recovered in Yaripora, Kulgam. According to a police statement issued to KNS, today morning, Police Station Yaripora was informed by the locals of village Chinigam, Yaripora that a male body is lying in an open field at the village. A police party rushed to the spot and recovered a bullet riddle body. The body was later identified as Zakir Syed Bhat of Sangus, Kulgam. The deceased had joined the ranks of LeT and was active in the area. Police has registered a case and investigation has been taken up

‘Non Implementation Takes Toll on Patients’

Srinagar: President DAK Dr Nisar ul Hassan today in a statement said that government has failed to implement Medical Council of India (MCI) recommendations in Government Medical Colleges (GMC) Srinagar. The enhancement in retirement age of medical faculty to 62 was long overdue and is not as per MCI recommendation which is 70 years. According to a statement issued to KNS, DAK said that these recommendations by MCI are made to produce more doctors and prevent Medical Colleges from shortage of experienced and talented doctors.

“The existing traditional promotion system of medical faculty in GMC Srinagar  is in gross violation of MCI norms leading to stagnation. There is no research funding to faculty because of which there are no standard treatment protocols. There is gross disparity of salary of faculty of GMC Srinagar and other Medical Colleges with the result they takes refuge in private practice.”

The statement added: “GMC Srinagar is without requisite critical departments like medical oncology, hematology etc creating lot of inconvenience to patients. Non implementation of MCI recommendations in GMC Srinagar has compromised quality of medical education and taken toll on patients.”

Srinagar: The 50 feet Bridge constructed at Baltal by the Army was inaugurated by Mr Preet Pal Singh, Additional CEO, Shri Amarnath Shrine Board today. The bridge has been constructed by the Victoria Cross Engineer Regiment of the Chinar Corps with the close support of the civil administration and is expected to cater for the heavy rush of Yatris who will undertake the annual pilgrimage. The abutments for the bridge were constructed by Roads and Bridges, Ganderbal.

According to a statement issued to KNS, Singh thanked the Army and District Administration, Ganderbal for constructing the bridge in record time. He stated that the Army had been approached to construct the Bridge after the existing bridge had been rendered unusable due to heavy snowfall in the Baltal-Domel area. The Bridge will facilitate smooth movement of the Yatris, Bhandaras, Security Forces as well as of their vehicles. The Bridge can also aid in any assistance that may be required in case of any unforeseen natural calamity. The preparatory work started on 10 June 2014 and actual construction of the Bailey Bridge was done on 18 June 2014. Mr Singh complimented the soldiers who worked with great enthusiasm and professionalism to complete their task stating that construction of the Bridge is an example of the excellent synergy that exist between the Civil Administration and the Army in the State. He stated that Chinar Corps is working in close coordination with the Shrine Board and State Govt for resolving all security and logistic issues pertaining to the Amarnath Yatra.

‘He owes his place in politics to NC. Is a political accident’

Srinagar: National Conference has lashed out at M. Y. Tarigami over his baseless and motivated remarks about Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and has termed his allegations as attempts to please some invisible quarters who are plotting intrigues against J&K’s identity, integrity and ethos.

According to a statement issued to KNS, NC Spokesman Junaid Azim Mattu said that Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami owed his present political constituency and space in politics to National Conference and was otherwise a political non-entity who now tragically finds space and prominence in newspapers in proportions that are grossly disproportionate to his size and influence on the ground. “Before the 1996 Elections, Tarigami was a non-serious entity who found relevance in contesting elections for the sheer sake of it as his ideology was never and will never be in congruence with the history and ethos of this State. It was National Conference which ensured Tarigami’s victory in 1996 by deciding to not file a candidate against him in a broader effort to evolve a consensus on taking the Valley out of the grip of turmoil”, the NC Spokesman said.

Junaid Mattu said that Tarigami’s remarks were surprising given the fact that Tarigami had praised the Omar Abdullah government at various forums in the recent past and had now suddenly, after the failure of his namesake “third front” decided to issue baseless statements to please new possible political patrons and bosses. The NC Spokesman said that Omar Abdullah had never remained silent on the 2010 killings but had ensured that legal action was necessitated in each and every case with FIRs registered and cases processed in the courts. In fact the Omar Abdullah  government had constituted a CoI under Justice (Retd) Syed Bashir-ud-Din to probe the killings of 2010. Out of 78 FIRs registered into the deaths the charge-sheets and final reports were submitted for 76 cases before the competent courts.

Junaid Mattu said that Tarigami was not sure if he was in the opposition or in ruling coalitions over the last successive coalition governments and he, like his associates, shrewdly occupied a space somewhere in between to have the cake and eat it too. “Getting dead-wood political riff raff together and sewing a group of individual non-entities into a namesake front did not amount to politics but was an attempt to create a bargaining lobby that weighs it options and goes with the direction of the wind. There are those faces in Tarigami’s third front today who have come from the quarters of BJP and its current allies and were earlier also directly and unabashedly affiliated to various unknown quarters and agencies. And their high moral talk about the aspirations and sentiment in Kashmir is not only ironic but also hypocritical. They neither have a mandate, nor the credibility to talk about the sacrifices and sentiments of our people”, Mattu said.

The NC Spokesman said that the re-constitution of the CoI under Justice (Retd) M. L. Koul was a reiteration of Omar Abdullah’s commitment to ensure that every single case is treated on the merits of justice and not a single case is hushed up. “Omar Abdullah has never changed his stand on the need for truth, justice and reconciliation and his efforts in those directions don’t need certificates from Mr. Tarigami and those of his ilk whose political affiliations are as much under the ground as above it”, the NC Spokesman said.

Srinagar: The leader of opposition and senior Congress LeaderShGhulam Nabi Azad on Friday welcomed the decision of State Government to enhance the regiment age of all the teaching faculties in Universities.

According to a statement issued to KNS Azad termed it as a great decision of government adding that it will, in particular, ensure availability of faculty in the Medical Colleges of the State which were under severe strain due to shortage of faculty. “While I was persistently trying to persuade the State Government as Health Minister of the country for the last many years, knowing the difficulties that our Medical Colleges were facing in fulfilling the norms of Medical Council of India (MCI), at last State Government has taken the right step and I congratulate them for this much needed decision”, said Sh Azad.

Sh Azad was addressing the people at Mogul Maidan, Chatroo, Chinghamin Inderwal Constituency on the fourth day of his tour to the Chenab Valley to express gratitude to the people, as also galvanize public support for his party in upcoming Assembly elections.

Emphasizing that Chenab Valley has tremendous hydro-power potential, Sh Azad said that as Chief Minister, his Government in April 2008 took a landmark decision of laying down the policy framework for the development of Hydro-power in the State which led to the introduction of ‘Tariff-Based Bidding’ for the first time in the setting up of power projects in the State.

The enunciated policy envisaged to make the establishment of Power projects more people-friendly by way of giving preference to local youth in terms of employment and rehabilitating the affected population, besides ensuring creation of basic infrastructure in the project area.

Sh Azad further said that to fast-track the development of power generation and to bring in investment in the Power sector of the State in a Joint Venture mode, his Government took the decision to set up Chenab Valley PowerProjects Corporation and subsequently MOU in this regard was signed with NHPC by the State Government in October 2008 on the eve of inauguration of BaghliarHydel Project.

Sh Azad said that he draws satisfaction from the fact that his initiatives have started showing positive result on the ground and, if given an opportunity by the people of the State, he will ensure that visible and substantial results are registered in the shortest possible time.

Stressing that youth is the future of our society; Sh Azad said that if elected to power, Congress Party will launch a massive skill development drive under the Skill Development Mission launched by the UPA Government. He said that number of Polytechnics, ITIs and Skill Development Centres have been sanctioned by UPA Government for the State and that he will aim to speed up the building and optimal utilisation of this vital infrastructure for the creating a bright future for our young boys and girls.

Responding to the aspirations of the Party workers and people of the area, He stressed the voters to ensure victory of all Congress candidates in the forthcoming Assembly elections so that we can restart the developmental boom in the State and make governance people- friendly and efficient.

Advising Congress Ministers to focus on all the constituencies for the overall development and not to remain confined to their own constituency, Sh Azad observed that Ministers of the coalition Government have to be accessible to the people of entire State. “There is one problem when an MLA becomes the minister; he entirely focusses on his own constituency. But I want our ministers in the present regime to focus on all areas of state so that the people in general are benefitted,” he said.

Srinagar: A delegation of Kashmir Traders and Manufactures Federation (KTMF), called on Mr. N.N. Vohra, Governor, here at Raj Bhavan today.

The delegation apprised the Governor about the key problems, which the trading and manufacturing communities in the Valley are facing, such as difficulty in getting soft loans to entrepreneurs, levying of interests and penalties on electricity dues of business establishments and non-rehabilitation of traders whose shops have come under road widening projects. They also put forth other issues relating to illegal encroachments of road sides and footpaths, levying of heavy sanitation fee by the Srinagar Municipal Corporation, lack of public utilities and inadequate parking facilities in the Srinagar city.

The Governor assured the delegation to take up their demands with the State Government.

The delegation comprised Mr. Mushtaq Ahmad Darial, Chairman KTMF; Haji Advocate Mushtaq Ahmad Sagar, President; KTMF; Mr. Bashir Ahmad Wani, General Secretary; Mr. Nissar Ahamd Mir, Senior Vice President; Mr. Abdul Rahim Fafoo, Finance Secretary; Mr. Ghulam Rasool Shah; Mr. Sheikh Zahoor Ahmad; Advocate Gh. Nabi Dar; Mr. Mushtaq Ahmad Kulla; Mr. Gh. Nabi Shah; Haji Ali Mohammad Malik; Mr. Irshad Ahmad Banday and Mr. Mohd. Abbas.