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Srinagar: Dr. Nisar ul Hassan on Monday urged the J&K government to end the practice of winter vacation for doctors in the valley saying the long break caused immense hardships to patients.

Dr Nisar ul Hassan said in a statement that it was “ironical that senior doctors in Kashmir valley are allowed for holidaying en masse at a time when their services are needed the most”.

“Come winter, senior doctors abandon their places of work to evade the harsh winter of the valley and go on sojourn within and outside the country,” he said in a statement to news agency KINS.

The Doctor said every year, faculty of referral hospitals go for two month winter vacation leaving patients to fend for themselves.

The patients, he said, “are left to die due to non-availability of senior doctors during harsh winter when Kashmir remains cut-off from rest of the world” adding that “hundreds of patients, every day turn up at these hospitals from far flung areas only to be told that senior doctors are on leave.”

With doctors on leave, there is problem in conducting outpatient and inpatient services in hospitals, Dr Nisar said.

He also alleged that planned surgeries are cancelled and procedures are further delayed due to the winter break. 

“In absence of senior doctors, hospitals are run by junior doctors who find it difficult to cope with the rush of patients and are unable to handle complicated cases,” he said.

Dr Nisar said winter brings more patients to hospitals but they are “left uncared as doctors are on holidays”.

He said the number of heart attacks and strokes doubles in winter and there is increased mortality among these patients due to non-availability of senior doctors.

The Doctor said there are increased numbers of pneumonia cases and hospitals are “flooded with asthmatics and chronic lung disease patients during winter”, Dr Nisar said.

Besides, there are far more fire-related cases and fair amount of accident cases due to slip or skid on icy streets, he added.

He further said that in view of the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic this year, “many severely ill patients related to the virus continue to get admitted in hospitals.”

Although SKIMS hospital has cancelled winter vacation for doctors in view of Covid-19 crisis this year, doctors at GMC Srinagar and its associated hospitals are “enjoying winter holidays,” Dr Nisar said.

Srinagar: The frozen Dal Lake has made life harder for inhabitants of the famed water body in Srinagar.

The Dal Lake has frozen several times in the past during chilly winters. However, this year, it has restricted tourists to roam in the Dal Lake. Life of those dependent on water transport has become equally very difficult.

“A lot of tourists have come here to see snowfall. Due to the frozen lake, we are not able to row boats. Many tourists feel disappointed after not taking a Shikara ride due to the frozen lake,” Mohammad Yusuf, a Shikara owner told news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS).

However, people believe that things would get better in the coming days when frozen water starts melting due to increase in temperature.
More than 40,000 people live on Dal Lake including Shikara owners, houseboat owners, vegetable growers, businessmen dealing with handicrafts, and fisherfolk. Tourism, agriculture, and fishing form the backbone of the economy on the lake.

There are more than 4500 registered Shikaras owners. However, at present less than 800 are associated with it as others have switched to other jobs due to decline of tourist arrivals post August 2019.

“We are entirely dependent on tourism. Our sector was badly hit post abrogation of Article 370, then COVID pandemic and now we have been affected due to frozen lake,” he added.
Kashmir has been under intense cold since the second week of January. Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir has recorded a low of minus 8.8 degrees celsius, which was the coldest temperature in 30 years.

Last week, Javid Ahmad, 40, an inhabitant of the lake had to purchase home necessities from the market, which is a kilometer away from his home. Normally, it would take him 15 minutes to reach there on the boat.

“It took me more than two hours to break the ice and then to reach the market. This winter has been a hardest ever for us in the last three decades due to freezing of the lake. Not only our livelihood has been hit, we are even not able to buy things,” Ahmad said, who deals with Kashmiri handicrafts.   

Similarly, vegetable growers would sell their produce at the floating vegetable market on the Dal Lake early in the morning. However, these days they are finding it difficult to reach to vegetable gardens and then sell in the market.
Vegetables including tomatoes, carrot, turnips and Nadru (Lotus root) traded in this floating market are supplied to Srinagar and many towns across the Kashmir valley.

Ghulam Mohammad, a 55-year-old fisherman would catch three kilogram of fish each day. However, he said for last 10 days since the lake is frozen, he caught less than 12 kilogram of fish. “When we are not able to roam around the lake how can we catch the fish? To catch fish, we have to break ice for hours,” he said.

There are also photographs of the frozen Dal Lake with selfie taking tourists and locals are trending on social media.

Meanwhile, authorities have issued an advisory asking people not to roam around on the frozen waters of the lake. The Srinagar district administration in an advisory asked people not to walk or play on the frozen parts of the Dal Lake. “We have clearly asked the people not to venture out on the frozen parts of Dal Lake as there is melting of the frozen parts happening. This can be dangerous. We have deployed quick reaction teams at the lake,” said Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary. (KINS)

Rajouri: Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and President Peoples Democratic Party Ms Mehbooba Mufti Monday said that ruling Bharatiya Janata Party was tearing apart the very spirit of India to build its organisation in furtherance of its vindictive and fanatic political agenda.

In a statement given to PTK She said, “Journalists and columnists are being booked for reporting facts, farmers are being targeted and defamed for seeking their rights, students and minorities are being pushed to walls. NIA, CBI, ED and every agency was being used to settle political scores and curb democratic voices”.

Ms Mehbooba was addressing workers convention in this border township for the first time after abrogation of special status of erstwhile state. She was accompanied by General Secretary and former MLC Surinder Choudhary, former legislators Master Tasaduq Hussain and Firdous Tak, Vijay Dogra, former VC, Rajinder Manhas, Satpal Charak, Parvaiz Wafa, Varinder Singh Sonu, Abdul Qayoom Dar, Mohd Iqbal Shah, Tazeem Dar, Advocate Showkat Hussain, Anjum Mirza, Advocate Ahsan Mirza and others.

“The sole purpose of this brazen use of muscle power and government machinery to squeeze political space in the country is aimed at strengthening BJP as organisation”, she said adding “Unfortunately this is being done at the cost of India’s interests both internally and externally”. She said that the plans of fanatic forces to enforce majoritarianism have not succeeded anywhere in the world and it is bound to fail here too.

Terming Armed Forces Specials Powers (AFSPA) as a blot on the democratic values of this country the former chief minister counted several instances with the absolute powers under the law were misused and innocent lives lost. “Three innocent youth from Rajouri were abducted and killed in cold blood in Shopian to win medals. The details emerging as how the encounter was staged sends shivers down the spine”, she said adding that in recent such encounters across Kashmir very young people have been killed in so called encounters in contrary to the claims of families of the deceased.

Reiterating her stand about the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, abrogated by union government, Ms Mufti said that her party shall carry forward the struggle even if it is left alone to fight. “I have made it clear that my personal struggle is only for restoration of dignity and honour of people. My party and our workers have pledged to be with me in the fight which is surely going to be long and tough. I want to assure you that we shall not give up and I am confident that the day will come when New Delhi will restore everything forcibly and unconstitutionally snatched from us along with interests”, she said while urging people to stand firm and united.

Highlighting Mufti sahab’s special focus on Rajouri she added “Mufti sahab was an ardent believer of doing politics for the sake of greater goals and good. It was his broader vision which foresaw the economic fillip that Mughal Road will induce to the districts of Rajouri and Shopian apart from connectivity. While everyone was thinking of schools he planned big institutions like Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University in Poonch- Rajouri area. His yearning for realising the dream of resolution of the Kashmir issue even saw him putting everything at stake and joining hands with BJP to work towards the resolution of the vexed issue. He always chose to fight and risk it big in the hope of providing relief and in the interest of the people of J&K,” Mehbooba added. (PTK)

Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha lauded the Central Government for announcing the project.

“I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modiji and Union Home Minister Amit Shahji for announcing a new gas pipeline project for the development of Jammu and Kashmir in Budget 2021. I congratulate Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharamanji for an inclusive and growth-oriented historic budget for Aatmanirbhar Bharat,” said Sinha on Twitter as per news agency KINS.

The key announcements in the Union Budget for the power infrastructure sector include the extension of Ujjwala Scheme to cover 1 crore more beneficiaries, the addition of 100 more districts in the next 3 years to the city gas distribution network and setting up of an independent Gas Transport System Operator.
The Finance Minister announced a ₹ 3,05,984 crore electricity distribution reform scheme over 5 years in order to empower electricity distribution companies (discoms). The major features of the scheme include prepaid smart metering, feeder separation and up-gradation system.

Sitharaman also announced the Hydrogen Energy Mission 2021-22 for generating hydrogen from green sources. (KINS)

Jammu: All the educational institutions excluding below 9th have reopened in Jammu after remaining off for over 11 months.

The Jammu and Kashmir administration announced the decision on Sunday. In the decision, the administration mentioned that schools, colleges, higher educational institutions, technical or skill institutions are allowed to open from February 1.

Educational institutions need to follow the Covid-19 SOPs, reads directions issued by the Union Ministry of Education as well as departments of school education, higher education, and skill development of the J&K government.

Schools in Kashmir division for class IX to XII will reopen as per schedule after the winter vacation. Schools in Kashmir are closed for winter vacation till February 28.

“In case of elementary classes, teachers shall attend schools from February 1 for preparation. Students should physically attend classes from February 8,” said an order issued by BK Singh, administrative secretary to the government.

However, standard operating procedures shall have to be followed in letter and spirit as per the suggestions of the district disaster management authorities. (PTK)

After a complaint by the army, the Jammu and Kashmir police have registered an FIR against two news portals for a story of a school in south Kashmir’s Shopian alleging that it was forced to hold a Republic Day function on January 26.

The army in the complaint on Saturday has alleged that the reports by the news portals were baseless and ‘fake-news’. A letter by the principal of the school named Jamia Sirajul Uloom, that was submitted along with the army’s complaint also stated that there was ‘no pressure’ by the army to organize Republic Day celebrations.

Police officials said that they have filed the FIR on Saturday under sections 153 and 505 after receiving a complaint from the Company commander of the army’s 44 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) at Imam Sahib in Shopian against online news portals The Kashmir Walla and Kashmiriyat.

“Army has said it is fake news and the school authorities have also denied any force by the army. We have filed an FIR against the two portals after the complaint by the army,” Shopian’s superintendent of police (SP), Amritpal Singh said.

The Kashmir Walla and Kashmiriyat had carried byline stories on January 27 quoting the chairman of Jamia Sirajul Uloom, a private school in Shopian, that they were allegedly pressured to celebrate the Republic Day event by the army. Attempts to contact the chairman M Yousuf Mantoo on his phone did not succeed.

Editor of The Kashmir Walla, Fahad Shah said that they stood by their story. “We stand by our reporting and we have ample evidence to prove that when the time will come. We spoke to the senior most official of the school who said everything on record. Now after three days they have remembered that it was ‘fake news’. The school authorities have also become unreachable,” Shah said.

He said that after they broke the story, the other news portal also talked to the school authorities and reported it. He said that they are used to getting calls and summons from the authorities for the work they are doing.

News editor of Kashmiriyat, Qazi Shibli said that they were honest in their reporting. We reported what the school authorities said and also attempted to get the reaction of the army officials who were not immediately available for comment. We had even mentioned updating the story in case the army responds but nobody called us from their side,” he said.

The school was in news in October last year after three teachers were booked under the Public Safety Act after reports emerged that a few of its students and alumni were found involved in militant activities over a period of time.

Inspector General of Police, Vijay Kumar had said that three of the institution’s teachers were booked under PSA and action under section 107 CrPC was also taken against six of its teachers.

The IG had said that the school was affiliated to Jamaat-e-Islami which was denied by the chairman of the school, M Yousuf who had said that it was an independent institution. (HT)

With inputs from The Hindustan Times

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.).

PTI

Srinagar: Two newly recruited militants and four militant associates of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and its offshoot Lashkar-e-Mustafa (LeM) were arrested in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, police said.

Acting on specific inputs regarding militant attacks being planned in Anantnag and Bijbehara towns by the LeM, the police along with the Army established special checking points at multiple locations and conducted intensive checking, a police spokesperson said.

At one of the checkpoints at Donipora in Bijbehera, officers intercepted a car with two persons onboard. The two tried to flee but were apprehended tactfully by the alert forces, he said.

“They have been identified as Imran Ahmed Hajam, a resident of Nathpora Khanabal, and Irfan Ahmed Ahanger, a resident of Nandpora Khanabal. Both had recently joined militant ranks and were affiliated with proscribed militant outfit LeM/JeM,” the spokesperson said.

Incriminating material, arms and ammunition including two pistols, three magazines and 116 rounds were recovered from their possession, he said.

The spokesperson said during the questioning, the arrested persons revealed that the LeM was recently floated to give an impression that militancy in Kashmir is home-grown and not sponsored by Pakistan.

“They further revealed that they are close associates of Hidayat Malik alias Hasnain, a resident of Sharafpora Shopian and the self-styled chief of LeM; Umer alias Wahid Khan, a resident of Shopian; and Aftab alias Ali Bhai, a resident of Dachipora.

“They said they were conducting recce of the area to plant an IED in order to target security forces and the police,” he said.

During the course of investigation, four militant associates of JeM were arrested from different locations, the spokesperson said.

They have been identified as Bilal Ahmed Kumar, Tawfeeq Ahmed Lawey, Muzamil Ahmed Wani and Aadil Ahmed Rather.

Incriminating material, ammunition including two grenades, 30 AK-47 rounds and 1 kg of explosive material were recovered from their possession, he said.