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  • Dr. Farooq chairs DLVMC meeting of Ganderbal district

    Urges officers to work with devotion, honesty in missionary mode
    Srinagar: The Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy, Dr. Farooq Abdullah urged upon one and all particularly officers to work with more zeal and enthusiasm while implementing developmental and welfare schemes sponsored by State and Central governments in the State.
    Emphasizing for percolate maximum benefit of such schemes to the common masses, Dr Farooq enjoined upon the officers to put in their efforts with dedication and honesty for the welfare of needy and common masses for the development, progress and prosperity of Jammu and Kashmir. The Union Minister stated this while addressing District Level Vigilance and Monitoring Committee (DLVMC) of Ganderbal district at SKICC here on Tuesday.
    Among others Deputy Commissioner, Ganderbal, Mr. Sarmad Hafeez and other district officers attended the meeting. In order to be self reliant in electricity resources and save money, the Minister advocated for installation of  solar power plants in all government and semi government office complexes besides commercial and residential compounds so that load on conventional type of power resources.
    Underscoring the importance of education and healthcare sectors, Mr Abdullah stressed for ensuring best possible academic atmosphere and better healthcare facilities in the district. He stressed upon the concerned to provide better healthcare facilities to the patients and make best use of available.
    Responding to the demands put forth on the occasion, the Minister made announcement of providing Rs. 10 lakh for purchase of digital X-Ray machine and  Rs. 15 lakh for purchase of Colour Doppler appliance from his MPLAD funds so that patients of the area are benefited. He also asked for taking necessary measures for eradication of TB from upper reaches of the district and stressed for bringing awareness regarding precautionary measures to be taken among the people living in these areas
    It was given out in the meeting that about 90 percent funds allocated for health sector in the district have been utilized, rate of institutional delivery cases and sex ratio has increased, besides Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) has also been launched in the district.
    On the occasion a film on save girl child was and which was appreciated by the Minister who said that daughter is much affectionate to their parents and the family without girl is unfortunate in this regard.
    Emphasizing for ensuring quality education and imparting moral and ethical education, Dr Abdullah asked to ensure punctuality and discipline in the educational institutions. He also stressed for effective monitoring of mid-day meals provided in the schools and ensures its quality and hygiene.
    The Minister was informed that under inclusive education physically disabled students of the district are being imparted education besides financial assistance and aiding devices are also being provided to the needy and deserving students of the district. He also made announcement of providing funds for computers for the upper reach schools of Ganderbal district.
    While reviewing the functioning of Rural Development Department in the district, the Minister was informed that about 98 percent of allotted funds have been utilized till date and during current fiscal 3729 works have been taken up out of which 1785 have been completed while 1944 are under progress, besides 11.300 lakh mandays were generated in the district.

    It was also given out that 165 km road connectivity was ensured and 265 culverts have been constructed 18 Panchayat Ghars have been completed and construction work on 19 more Panchayat Ghars is in progress. The meeting was also informed that under IAY scheme assistance for constructing houses has also been increased to 75 thousand and 278 self help groups have been established under UMEED programme for empowering women folk in the district. (KNS)

  • Winter vacation extended

    Srinagar: State government ordered extension of winter vacation in the schools upto 8th standard till March 5.However, there will be no extension in vacation of students of 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th.

  • Panic in Pulwama village after woman dies of cancer, 4 more cases detected

    Srinagar: Panic has gripped Lehjura area of Pulwama district where a woman has died of breast cancer, even as four more fresh cases of the deadly disease have surfaced setting alarm bells ringing in the health department,.
    A woman died of breast cancer, as a team of doctors sent to the area by the health department have detected four more cases of breast cancer among the women, officials told GNS Tuesday. A five member team of doctors has been dispatched to the area by the directorate of health to assess the situation where panic has gripped the womenfolk.
     “There were five cancer patients. Among them wife of Mushtaq Ahmad Dar, who hails from Lehjora passed away. She was receiving Chemotherapy treatment at SKIMS Soura,” Dr Shahbaz Ahmad, who is camping in the village with his colleagues, told GNS.
    “Three more women are suffering from breast cancer, while one has ovary cancer. Their ages are 40, 45, 35 and 70,” he added.
    He said that the team of doctors has started medical awareness in the village. The team, he said, has also asked the CMO to send female doctors to the village.
    However, the locals have taken strong exception of the move of the health department, who have sent all male doctors team to the village.
    “Some women hesitate to get examined from the male doctors. The health department should have sent females doctors to them examined,” Mohammad Shafi, a local said.
    He said that the house-to-house screening of the women by the doctors will not serve any purpose unless female doctors are sent to the village
    Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Pulwama, Mohammad Hussain told GNS that he was informed about the cases of cancer by the Block Medical Officer (BMO), Pulwama. “After her information, we constituted a team of doctors for the screening of the women folk. The screening is underway,” he said, adding: “Only after proper screening, we can say whether it is breast cancer or not.” (GNS)

  • Downtown man dies of medical ‘negligence’

    Srinagar: An elderly man on Monday died due to the alleged negligence of doctors’ in a well-known private hospital in uptown Srinagar.
    Haji Ali Muhammad of Nabdipora locality of downtown Hawal was admitted in Florence Hospital Chanapora on Sunday by his family for the removal of gallstones, family sources told GNS Tuesday. At the hospital, the doctors told the family that the surgery will be done on Monday after conducting all the necessary investigations.
    “On Monday, the doctors operated upon my father. Initially, the doctors told me that the surgery was successful and that my father was doing well. However, after sometime, they asked me to take my father to SKIMS Soura because of over overdose of anesthesia. I was shocked to hear the doctors,” Ali Muhammad’s son, Ashiq Hussain, told GNS Tuesday.
    He said before he could realize the gravity of the situation and shift his father to the territory care hospital, the doctors declared his father dead.
    “The doctors told me that my father died of heart attack. I don’t believe them. My father dies of the doctors’ negligence. They gave him overdose of anesthesia that caused his death,” Hussain said.
    He said that he has filed a complaint against the doctors at the police station Sadder seeking strict action against them for the alleged negligence.
    “It should be investigated whether the people who operated upon my father are doctors or not. I don’t want anyone to die of negligence like my father,” he said, adding “They’re not doctors but butchers. I will fight for justice come what may,”
    A police official confirmed to GNS that the son of the deceased has lodged a complaint against the hospital authorities. “We have received the complaint and taken up the investigations,” he added. (GNS)

  • Geelani calls for Shutdown on February 28

    Said Lolab gunfight mysterious
    Srinagar: Terming the Lolab gunfight, in which seven militants were killed by forces ‘mysterious’, Chairman Huriyat Conference (G) Syed Ali Geelani Tuesday called for a valley wide shutdown on February 28.

    Condemning what he called ‘brutal force’ on the protesters who were demanding the bodies of the seven militants, Geelani claimed that the way bodies were refused to be handed over the militants indicate that the authorities are trying to cover up the truth. 

    He stated further that the independent international organizations must probe into the killings so that the truth could be unmasked at the earliest. Hurriyat chief spokesman Ayaz Akbar told KNS that the amalgam has decided to call the strike for February 28 as on 27 it is Maha Shivratri. (KNS)

  • IGP Kashmir bereaved

    Srinagar: Haji Ghulam Qadri Mir, father of Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Abdul Ghani Mir passed away at his residence Kalmona Vilgam Handwara Tuesday morning.
    Thousands of people including prominent officials, social and political activists attended the funeral prayers of the deceased at his ancestral village.

    Several political and social organizations have offered condolences to the family. Chief minister Omar Abullah,  Law minister Mir Saifullah, minister of state for home Sajad Kitchloo, CPI ( M) State Secretary M Y Tarigami, Director General of Police (DGP) Ashok Prasad,  and others have expressed grief over the demise.

  • Mirwaiz demands impartial probe in Lolab encounter

    ‘Past experience necessities an independent enquiry’  
    Srinagar: Hurriyat Conference (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Tuesday sought an impartial probe into Lolab encounter wherein army claimed to have killed seven militants whose bodies were handed over the locals for burial.
    In a telephonic statement to KNS, Mirwaiz said that given the past experience of encounters that were later proved ‘stage managed’, a probe through an independent agency must be ordered into the Lolab encounter.
    Mirwaiz’s demand comes a day after, the army and police claimed to have killed seven militants in a fierce gun battle that started in Lolab forests in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district.
    “See given the past experience, I mean we have witnessed so many encounters wherein police and army claimed to have killed militants but later they proved to be innocent civilians. Though the bodies have been handed over to the locals for burial, but the veracity of the encounter itself must be ascertained by some independent agency,” Mirwaiz demanded, while talking to KNS.
    The Hurriyat (M) chairman said: “People still remember encounter like Pathribal, Machil, Ganderbal, Brakpora and many other incidents where innocent civilians were first abducted and later killed in cold blood.”

    According to police, 18 RR and Police, killed these militants in an encounter in the jungle area of Dardpora, in the jurisdiction of Police station Lalpora. On Monday (February 24) evening the army said that it laid a cordon around the Madkulla Behak forests of Dardpora village in Lolab after receiving a tip off about the presence militants in the forest. (KNS)

  • Militants killing aftermath

    Lalpora erupts, Bunkers torched, scores of vehicles damaged

    Kupwara: Violent protests erupted in frontier district Kupwara’s Lalpora area after thousands of protestors stormed into police station Lalpora to get the bodies of seven slain militants who were killed during a gun fight in Dardpora forests on Monday evening.

    Eyewitnesses told CNS that thousands of people from Lalpora, Dardpora, Darpora, Redinag assembled outside police station Lalpora where post mortem of seven slain militants was being performed. The protestors staged a massive protest and amid pro-freedom slogans stormed into police station, however, the police and CRPF personnel restored to intense aerial firing and fired scores of tear-smoke shells which created panic in the area.
    Eyewitnesses said that police station was completely damaged by protestors while some of the policemen ran for cover.
    Reports said that, the angry protestors resorted to stone pelting and torched two bunkers outside police station. They stormed into police station and attacked it from all the sides forcing some policemen to ran for cover. The room of Station House Officer was completely damaged by protesters.  Protestors alleged that the slain militants were locals and foreigners. They demanded the dead bodies of militants for burial.
    During the clashes at least 16 persons including 4 policemen, 7 photo and video journalists and five civilians were injured. One of the civilian Muhammad Mustafa Shah was referred to Kupwara District Hospital for treatment. Reports said that additional reinforcement of police and CRPF were rushed to spot to take stock of the situation.
    Sources told CNS that in order to diffuse the situation; local police contacted Auqaf Committee and handed over the bodies of militants to them. Agitated protestors who were thousands in number participated in the funeral procession and ultimately they were buried in local grave yard.
    Authorities imposed severe restriction in and around Lalpora to thwart possible protests. Deputy Inspector General Police North Kashmir J.P.Singh said that all measures have been taken to maintain peace and order in the area. “We are monitoring the situation minutely while police and Para-military troopers have been deployed in the area to maintain law order,” he said.

    Pertinently, Army Monday claimed that it gunned down top seven foreign militants in Dardpora Forest of Lolab region in North Kashmir’s frontier district of Kupwara. Army said that the operation was launched after intelligence inputs were received about the presence of militants in the area.  (CNS)

  • Slain Militants all Foreigners: Army

    Pakistani documents recovered from their possession
    Kupwara: Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police Tuesday claimed that all the 7 persons killed in Dardpor forest during an operation were Lashkar Toiba militants as Pakistani documents were recovered from their possession soon after their death.
    In a joint press conference at Sector 8 Headquarters in Lalpora Lolab, General Officer Commanding Kilo Force S.K.Sunny and Deputy Inspector General Police North Kashmir Range, J.P.Singh told reporters that all the persons who were killed in the operation were Lashkar militants who were active in Dardpora forestes for a long time.
    GOC, Kilo Force said that the joint operation carried out by Army and Police was a lengthy one and it had not been started abruptly. “Due to high altitude and heavy snow, our men faced difficulties to track and crack these militants, however we finally managed to neutralize seven of them,” he said.
    He refuted the news reports that slain militants had infiltrated recently from across the border. He said that it was not a new group but these militants were active for a long time in these forests. “It is obviously a big achievement for us and a major setback to Lashkar outfit,” he said.
    General Officer Commanding Kilo Force S.K.Sunny claimed that all the slain militants were carrying Pakistani documents which amply proves that these militants were not locals but foreigners. “Operation against militants in the area is still in progress and we want to make it sure no militant breeches our cordon,” he said.

    According to CNS, Deputy Inspector General North Kashmir Range J.P.Singh told reporters that it has been confirmed that all the slain militants were Pakistani whose bodies were handed over to local Auqaf Committee. (CNS)

  • Marking on weapons and documents prove that slain militants were foreigners: Defense spokesperson

    Kupwara:  Soon after the reports erupted in Lalpora, Kupwara over the killing of seven militants, Srinagar based Army spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel, N.N. Joshi told Srinagar based news gathering agency CNS that it has been confirmed after proper verification that all the slain militants were Pakistani and not a single of them was a local militant.
    He said that the Army and Police recovered some documents from them which indicates that they were from Pakistan. “The marking that were found on their weapons also indicated that all the slain militants were foreigners.

    Responding to a query, the spokesperson said that no identity card was recovered from their possession but, ‘initial investigation has revealed that all the slain militants were either associated with Lashkar Toiba or its associated groups.” (CNS)