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Srinagar: After remaining closed for months post abrogation of August 5 then COVID-19 lockdown, business seems picking up in Jammu and Kashmir. This could be gauged that the Centre has collected the second-highest Goods and Services Tax (GST) from J&K last month across the country.

For the last few weeks, a significant part of the economy has resumed operations as well as pace in the valley.

As per the government figures accessed by news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS) the authorities have collected Rs 650 crore GST returns in September from Jammu and Kashmir, which is highest in the last nine months. It is also 2nd highest across the country in the previous month.The increased revenues indicate reinstatement of normalcy in business operations.

An official of the Finance Department said the increase in GST returns was a good sign. “This indicates business operations have started in Jammu and Kashmir. Kashmir’s economy has been badly affected since August 5 last year,” the official told news agency KINS.

Kashmir’s economy has witnessed heavy losses, educational institutions remain shut.
“There was a lockdown for months with no business. Now business has started resuming in Kashmir. But there are some sectors that are difficult to survive,” said Adnan Ahmad, who runs a garment shop in Srinagar.

A hotel owner Bilal Ahmad said tourism was yet to be restarted in Kashmir.

“This sector has been almost shut since August 5 last year. We can only make our earning once tourists visit Kashmir,” Bilal said , who is sitting idle at home these days.

Tourism is considered the backbone of Kashmir’s economy on which over 20 percent people are directly or indirectly dependent. In 2018, Kashmir received 3,16.434 tourists between August and December. In 2019, the number fell to 43,0,59 for the same period.

The political upheaval followed by the COVID-19 pandemic has been a double blow to the tourism sector.

People associated with the tourism sector like in hotels, travel agencies, houseboats have been rendered jobless.

The handicrafts sector also suffered huge losses for the last one year.

Similarly the education sector has been badly hit. About 10 lakh students could not attend school and college for months because of curfew-like restrictions.

Authorities have directed schools to start online classes for students.

Unlike other parts of the world, children of Kashmir are also denied to attend online classes due to low internet speed.

The GST collections for September in India stood at Rs 95,480 crore, the highest on a monthly basis since the lockdown began in March this year. Collections for September were 10.4% higher than August and 4% higher than last year’s same month.(KINS)

Srinagar: National Investigation Agency (NIA) Monday arrested a Budgam resident in connection with the Hizbul Mujahideen commander Naveed Babu case, officials said.

An NIA official told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), that its sleuths arrested one accused Tafazul Hussain Parimoo, resident of Budgam, J&K in connection with Naveed Babu case.

“He played a key role in supplying arms and ammunition to accused Tariq Mir (ex Sarpanch, Maldera, Shopian), who further supplied them to Hizb militants in Shopian,” the official said—(KNO)

Srinagar: With the onset of winter, the Power Department is set to issue a power curtailment schedule as the demand for electricity goes up.
For the last two weeks, people have been complaining of abrupt power cuts.

An official of the Power Department said they are framing a power curtailment schedule for the winter. “Once it is finalized, it will be issued,” the official told news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS).

The official said they provide on an average 1300 MWs of electricity to consumers in Kashmir.

“During winters the demand reaches 1800 MWs. The Power Department has also failed to put in place required infrastructure for receiving additional electricity from the central grids,” the official said.

Another senior official said that if the consumers make judicious use of electricity, there is no need for long power curtailment in the coming months.

“We have seen that power thefts and use of heaters and boilers by the consumers cause the overloading. People should use electricity judiciously so there will be less curtailment,” the official said.

The Centre has been allotting additional 700 MWs of power to Jammu and Kashmir in view of higher demand in winters. But there has been no improvement in Union Territory as authorities have failed to augment the existing infrastructure to receive additional electricity from the central grids.

“Additional allocation of power will overcome power crises only when required infrastructure is in place. How will we handle additional power when there is no infrastructure available? There will be improvement in power supply only when new girds are commissioned,” the official said.
Meanwhile, people from various areas complain of abrupt power cuts.

“We are facing power cuts for the last few weeks. Power goes off at any time during the day,” said Mushtaq Ahmad, a resident of Beerwah Budgam.

People of main town Baramulla also complain of power cuts.(KINS)

Says all anti-militancy ops carried out this year were conducted as per “professionalism”

Srinagar: Commending forces personnel for smooth conduct of anti-militancy operation in Rambagh area of Srinagar district in which two militants including a top Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) commander of Pakistan were killed, Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbagh Singh on Monday said barring Batamaloo encounter in which one woman got killed in a cross fire, all 75 anti-militancy operations in which 180 militants were killed, carried out this year were conducted as per professionalism. He also added security forces won’t allow militants to establish base in Srinagar and said only one militant who is also involved in series of attacks is active in the city.

Terming Rambagh encounter a “successful” one, DGP commended forces personnel for smooth conduct of operation. “Today’s operation was successful one. All operations against militants conducted this year were clean and conducted in a professional manner”, Singh according to KNS said.

However he maintained that in recent Batamaloo encounter one woman got killed due to cross fire in a congested locality while all operation conducted so far were conducted in a clean manner and with professionalism.

“The slain commander of LeT killed in Rambagh area this morning was involved in series of attacks on security forces including the recent attacks of Nowgam, Chadoora and Kandizal, Pampore”, DGP who was addressing a press conference in Police Control Room (PCR) Srinagar told media personnel.

Police Chief at the occasion said that on specific tip-off about the presence of militants, security forces this year carried out 75 anti-militancy operations in which 180 militants including foreigners were killed.

In a query whether militants are trying to set their base again in Srinagar city, DGP said “Security forces are alert all the time. We will not allow militants to establish their base in Srinagar.

Whenever any militant outfit tries to establish its base in Srinagar, we successfully corner the militant with the help of our intelligence and other sources”, he said and added “This year eight encounters took place in Srinagar city in which 18 militants including a top Hizb-ul-Mujahideen commander were killed”.

When asked about the figure of active militants in Srinagar city, DGP said at present only one militant is active in the city who too is involved in couple of attacks on security forces and asserted that the said militant too will be brought to justice very soon.

When asked how many security personnel were killed this year, he said Jammu and Kashmir Police has lost its 19 men while Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) 21 and added Army has lost 15 soldiers among majority was killed at LoC.

Replying to a query as to how many youth were brought back after joining militant ranks this year, DGP said 26 youth who had joined militancy were reunited with their families. “26 youth who had joined militant ranks were brought back with the help of their parents and efforts of police”, DGP said.

When asked whether there is any rehabilitation policy for those shunning the path of militancy, DGP said there is no rehabilitation policy in place for those quitting militancy however he added that whenever there would be any such policy, that will be shared accordingly.

Earlier on a specific input about the presence of militants in Rambagh area of Sringar, a joint Cordon & Search Operation (CASO) was launched by Police and CRPF in the area, an official said.

He said that during searches, the presence of militants got ascertained who were given opportunity to surrender after evacuating civilians from the house however they fired indiscriminately upon the search party which was retaliated, triggering an encounter.

“During exchange of fire, two militants of LeT outfit were killed and their bodies were retrieved from the site of encounter”, official said and identified the slain militants as Saif-ullah (a top Pakistani LeT commander) and Irshad Ahmad Dar alias Abu Usman of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district. He added Irshad was active since May 2019 and involved in several attacks on Police and security forces.

According to police official, the dead bodies of killed militants shall be sent to Baramulla for burial after conducting required medico-legal formalities. (KNS)

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir reported 398 new novel coronavirus cases in last 24 hours, taking the total count to past 84000 mark.

Among the cases, 159 were reported from Jammu division and 239 from Kashmir Valley even as two districts— Kishtwar and Reasi reported no new fresh infection.

Giving district wise details, official sources told GNS that Srinagar reported 106 cases, Budgam 38, Baramulla 21, Pulwama 12, Kupwara 21, Anantnag 10, Bandipora 10, Ganderbal 13, Kulgam 1, Shopian 7, Jammu 113, Rajouri 7, Udhampur 7, Doda 1, Kathua 7, Poonch 12, Samba 11, Kishtwar 0, Ramban 1 and Reasi 0. The total tally of cases has risen to 84031—50382 in Valley and 33649 in Jammu division.

Moreover, 861 patients have recovered and were discharged from various hospitals in J&K—326 from Valley and 535 from Jammu. (GNS)

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir Police Monday said it has booked three teachers of a religious school in Shopian district under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) after it came to the fore that some of its students and alumni were found involved in Militant activities.

Its alumni include Sajjad Bhat, an accused in the February 2019 suicide attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama that had left 40 personnel dead.

Kashmir Inspector General of Police (IGP) Vijay Kumar told a press conference here the school is affiliated with the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) outfit.

“The school’s name is Siraj-uloom Imam Sahib. It is not that this school has not been under observation. We have already booked three teachers of the school namely Abdul Ahad Bhat, Rouf Bhat and Mohammad Yusuf Wani under the PSA,” Kumar told the reporters.

He said about half a dozen other teachers of the school were under surveillance.

“(Conduct of) five to six teachers of the school are under surveillance (under Section 107 CrPC). Basically, the affiliation of the school is with JeI. It is under surveillance, and right now we are taking action against individuals and if need arises, we will take action against the school,” the IGP said.

Section 107 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) deals with any likely breach of peace or public tranquility.

The religious school in south Kashmir’s Shopian district came under the scanner of investigating agencies after 13 of its students were found to have joined terror groups.

The school mainly has students from Kulgam, Pulwama and Anantnag districts of South Kashmir, considered by intelligence agencies to be the hotbeds of militancy and breeding grounds for local recruits in various terror groups, officials said.

The Public Safety Act (PSA) enables authorities to detain any individual for two years without trial. (PTI)

New Delhi: India and China on Monday held the seventh round of high-level military talks with a sole agenda of finalising a roadmap for disengagement of troops from all the friction points in eastern Ladakh.

As the border standoff entered the sixth month, an early resolution to the row appears dim.

The talks at the Corps commander level began at around 12 noon in Chushul on the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, official sources said.

The Indian delegation is led by Lt Gen Harinder Singh, the commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps, and includes Naveen Srivastava, Joint Secretary (East Asia) in the Ministry of External Affairs(MEA).

Close to 100,000 Indian and Chinese troops are deployed in eastern Ladakh as both sides are holding their ground and also showing readiness for a long-haul even as diplomatic and military talks to find an amicable solution continue.

The talks in Chushul are underway, the sources said.

Ahead of the talks, the sources said India will press for an early and complete disengagement of troops by China from all the friction points besides demanding restoration of immediate restoration of status quo ante in all areas of eastern Ladakh prior to April. The standoff began on May 5.

The agenda for the talks is to firm up a roadmap for disengagement of troops from all the friction points in eastern Ladakh, the sources said.

The China Study Group (CSG) comprising Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat and three service chiefs on Friday finalised India’s strategy for the military talks. The CSG is India’s key policy making body on China.

The sources said India will strongly oppose any demand by China for withdrawal of Indian troops from several strategic heights on the southern bank of the Pangong lake to kick-start the disengagement process.

During the sixth round of Corps commander talks on September 21, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army(PLA) insisted on withdrawal of troops by the Indian Army from several strategic heights in Mukhpari, Rezang La and Magar hill areas around the southern bank of Pangong lake.

Indian troops had occupied the strategic heights after the PLA soldiers attempted to intimidate them in the southern bank of Pangong lake on the intervening night of August 29 and 30.

India has been maintaining that the disengagement process has to start simultaneously at all the friction points.

At the talks, the two sides are expected to further explore steps to maintain stability on the ground and avoid any action that may trigger fresh tension in the region where troops from both sides will be facing difficult conditions in the next four months due to harsh winter, the sources said.

Following the sixth round of military talks, the two sides announced a slew of decisions including not to send more troops to the frontline, refrain from unilaterally changing the situation on the ground and avoid taking any actions that may further complicate matters.

The military talks were held with a specific agenda of exploring ways to implement a five-point agreement reached between Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi at a meeting in Moscow on September 10 on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation(SCO) conclave.

The pact included measures like quick disengagement of troops, avoiding action that could escalate tensions, adherence to all agreements and protocols on border management and steps to restore peace along the LAC.

Days after the military talks, the two sides held diplomatic parleys under the framework of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on border affairs, but no concrete outcome emerged from the negotiations on September 30.

After the diplomatic talks, the MEA said it was agreed that the next round of the meeting of senior commanders should be held at an early date so that both sides can work towards an early and complete disengagement of the troops along the LAC in accordance with the existing bilateral agreement and protocols.

Srivastava, who has been leading the Indian side at the WMCC talks, also attended the military parleys on September 21 for the first time.

It is Lt Gen Singh’s last round of talks with the PLA in the current standoff as he is due to take charge as head of the prestigious Indian Military Academy(IMA) this week. His successor at the 14 Corps Lt Gen PGK Menon is also part of the Indian delegation.

At the previous six rounds of military talks, the Indian side insisted on complete disengagement of Chinese troops at the earliest, and immediate restoration of status quo ante in all areas of eastern Ladakh prior to April.

The situation in eastern Ladakh deteriorated following at least three attempts by the Chinese soldiers to “intimidate” Indian troops along the northern and southern bank of Pangong lake area between August 29 and September 8 where even shots were fired in the air for the first time at the LAC in 45 years.

As tensions escalated further, the foreign ministers of India and China held talks in Moscow on September 10 where they reached a five-point agreement to defuse the situation in eastern Ladakh.

The agreement was the basis for the sixth round of Corps commander-level talks.

In the last three months, the Indian Army rushed tanks, heavy weaponry, ammunition, fuel, food and essential winter supplies to various treacherous and high-altitude areas of the region to maintain combat readiness through the harsh winter of around four months starting around mid-October.

(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)