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Anjuman Auqaf Jama Masjid said that police and civil authorities called them yesterday to convey that  Eid prayers will not be allowed at  Eid Gah Srinagar and would only be allowed at Jama Masjid Srinagar if held before 7 Am ,and after  conditions set later by the authorities, are met by the Auqaf  in writing.

As per the precedent , Anjum Auqaf had earlier in the day announced that Eid prayers will be held at Eid gah at 9 .30 Am and in case of inclement weather at Jama Masjid Srinagar at that time  . Auqaf members expressed great dismay that after disallowing muslims of the valley to pray at Jamia Masjid on Juma -tul- vida  and Shab- e-Qadr  , authorities are now not allowing muslims to offer Eid  prayers in the open at Eid Gah , which is in tradition of the prophets sunnah. In this case ,  a reply was also received yesterday by the Anjuman to a  letter they had sent to Waqf board regarding Eid prayer arrangements at Eid gah. The reply by the Wafq board conveyed that they could not facilitate prayer arrangements unless Authorities gave permission to conduct prayers at Eid gah .

Anjuman Auqaf said that  Jama Masjid is a central place of congregational prayers in the valley and not some local masjid . The purpose of such central places of worship is to provide a space and opportunity to muslims so that they can pray together in large numbers on Fridays and other religious occasions,  and experience the physical and spiritual communion as an ummah . To facilitate people from across the valley to reach these central places , prayers timings are decided accordingly and like in Dargah Hazratbal prayers timings by the waqf board has been set at 10.30 Am , Anjuman Auqaf had also announced prayers at 9:30 Am. It is strange that if congregational prayers can be allowed at other places at 10:30 Am , why not at Jama Masjid, why unreasonable conditions of  giving this and that in writing , have to be applied here? Sadly it seems that as in case of juma tul -vida and shab–e-Qadr authorities do not want Eid prayers to held even at Jama Masjid after disallowing them at Eid gah due to public fear and hence these hurdles.

Anjuman Auqaf deeply regrets this approach of the authorities, when again Eid prayers are not being allowed at Eidgah as well as Jama Masjid , causing great hurt and sorrow to the muslims of J&K , as does the prolonged detention of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq since august 2019 , who would deliver the soul rendering  Eid sermon prior to congregational Eid prayers .

New Delhi: The government has accepted IAS officer Shah Faesal’s application for withdrawing his resignation and reinstated him in service and his next posting would be announced soon, Home Ministry officials said here on Thursday.
Faesal, who submitted his resignation in January 2019 and floated the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Movement (JKPM) party, was detained under the stringent Public Safety Act immediately after the abrogation of special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
However, after his release, Faesal gave up on politics and started dropping hints of his willingness to rejoin government service. His resignation had not been accepted.
The doctor-turned-bureaucrat formed his party to “revive democratic politics” in Jammu and Kashmir but his political career ended abruptly.
In an earlier interview with PTI, Faesal had said, “Soon after quitting (IAS), I realised that my innocuous act of dissent was being seen as an act of treason. It had done more harm than benefit and my act had discouraged a lot of civil services aspirants and my colleagues felt betrayed. It upset me a lot.”
Home Ministry officials said that Faesal’s plea for withdrawal of resignation had been accepted and his next posting would be announced soon.
The Home Ministry, which is the cadre controlling authority for the Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre, had asked for an opinion of the Jammu and Kashmir administration about his plea for withdrawal of resignation.
After getting reports from all quarters besides the Department of Personnel and Training, the department looking after the IAS, it was decided to accept his plea and was subsequently reinstated earlier this month, the officials said.(PTI)

Srinagar, April 28: Inspector General of Police Vijay Kumar on Thursday said that 62 militants have been killed so far this year in Kashmir Valley.

In a tweet, he said 39 of the militants were from Lashker-e-Toiba, 15 from Jash-e-Mohammad , six from Hizb-ul-Muajhideen and two from Al-Badr.

“Among them, 47 were locals and 15 foreign militants,” said the IGP Kashmir as per GNS. (GNS)

Inaugurate, lay foundation stones of projects over Rs 20,000cr

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on his first visit to Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 on Sunday and will inaugurate the 8.45-km Banihal-Qazigund Road Tunnel that will connect Jammu with the Valley. He will also participate in the celebrations of the National Panchayati Raj Day and gram sabhas across the country.

In a statement, the Centre said Modi will participate in the celebrations of National Panchayati Raj Day soon after his arrival. He will virtually address all Gram Sabhas across the country. The PM will visit Palli Panchayat in Samba district. He will also transfer award money to Panchayats which are winners of awards given across different categories for their achievements.

An exhaustive itinerary to commensurate the momentous visit post Art 370 abrogation includes the formal launch of Rs 38,082 Cr Industrial development proposals and initiation or inauguration of big-ticket projects of over Rs 20,000 Cr. This also includes the inauguration of the much awaited Banihal-Qazigund road tunnel.

Srinagar, Apr 22: Local boys saved an old man after he jumped into the river Jehlum near Nawakadal area of Srinagar.

Official sources told news agency Kashmir News Trust that a 70-year-old man in a bid to end his life jumped into the river on Friday evening. However, the local boys swung into action and retrieved the man alive from the river.

He was shifted to SMHS Hospital Srinagar where his condition is stated to be critical.

A doctor at SMHS Hospital identified the old man as Muhammad Amin, a resident of Kawadara Srinagar.

Police have registered a case and started an investigation. (KNT)

Srinagar, April 22: While Covid cases are on the rise in Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) and Maharashtra among few other places in India, experts on Friday said that there was no need to panic as long as hospitalization remains minimal.

“There is no need for panic given the fact that cases are few and hospitalizations on account of covid-19 are almost zero,” Dr Naveed Nazir Shah, Kashmir’s top pulmonologist and Head of the Department at Chest Disease Hospital Srinagar, told GNS. “The SOPs are largely relaxed but if any surge happens, there is need to go back to following SoPs in letter and spirit,” he said.

Sources said that presently a lesser number of tests are being conducted and the number of cases may not present the actual situation. However, they said, severity is far less with hardly anyone requiring hospitalization.

Seconding it, Dr Naveed stressed that the number of cases does not matter so much as long as hospitalization is negligible. “If the situation arises that there is need for hospitalization then only there is need for strict adherence to SOPs,” he added.

HoD Social and Preventive Medicine, GMC Srinagar, Dr Saleem Khan also said no major steps were needed to be taken as the hospitalization does not demand the same.

The seven-day average of daily infections, a number that denotes a region’s Covid-19 case curve, in New Delhi has climbed to 636 for the week ended Thursday. This number, which was falling for almost three months since mid-January when the city’s Omicron wave peaked, has now been slowly rising. For the week ended March 31, the city reported 103 cases every single day on average.

The number of cases in Jammu and Kashmir remains far low and mainly in single digit. However experts have been warning against any complacency. While the Delhi government was forced to order the wearing of masks earlier this week, the Tamil Nadu health department on Friday made wearing facemasks in public mandatory as a preventive step to control the surge of Covid-19 cases. Anybody found without a face mask will have to pay a penalty of Rs 500 in the South Indian state.

With 2,451 new coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, India’s total tally of Covid-19 cases climbed to 4,30,52,425, while the active cases increased to 14,241, according to the Union health ministry data updated on April 22. (GNS)

Cant purchase power at exorbitant rates, ready to procure electricity at Rs 8, but rates given not affordable, two-day rainfall won’t bring any respite: CE KPDCL, says curtailment to continue for more days

Srinagar, Apr 21: The government on Thursday said that it can’t afford to procure electricity from outside Jammu and Kashmir due to the exorbitant rates and that the long power cuts will continue for some more time.

It said that the shortage of coal in Delhi grid has added to the existing problem while less rainfall in the month of March too has resulted in the less availability of electricity in Kashmir.

Talking to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Chief Engineer, Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL), Javid Yousuf Dar said that the present scenario would continue for some time.

He said that the demand has increased due to the rise in temperature and the generation at the same is less due to the deficient rainfall.

Dar added that the rainfall from the last two days would not bring any respite from the present power scenario, saying that there is already a huge deficient rainfall and just two days of rains can’t change the situation.

The Chief Engineer said that there is no option other than going ahead with the power cuts due to the decline in power generation.

He said that the KPDCL at this juncture can’t procure electricity from outside Jammu and Kashmir as the rates for per unit have increased due to the absence of coal.

“We were ready to procure electricity at the rate of Rs 8, but the rates at present are unaffordable. Nobody can procure the electricity at present,” Chief Engineer said, adding that the electricity has not been procured and thus simultaneously the non-availability of electricity would lead to the power cuts.

Pertinently, the people across the Valley here are complaining of erratic power supply especially during the peak hours of Sehri and Iftaari.

The government had promised adequate electricity to the consumers during the holy month of Ramadan. However, the power scenario worsened on the ground as pesky power cuts have led to the sufferings of people in Srinagar and elsewhere in the Valley.

The local consumers said that it is for the first time that the people here are being pushed to the wall in the holy month of Ramadan as such a power scenario has never been witnessed in the past—(KNO)

Srinagar, Apr 22: Just two-days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Jammu, an encounter has started between militants and security forces in Sunjwan area of Jammu on Friday.

A senior police officer told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that encounter has started and two fidayeens have got trapped where exchange of fire is going on.

He said that Jammu is already on high alert and trapped militants were planning to strike ahead of PM’s visit.

It is pertinent to mention here that PM Modi is scheduled to visit Jammu on April 24—(KNO)