Blog

Srinagar: Every year on December 24, people assemble in Bihar at the grave of Yusuf Shah Chak, independent Kashmir’s last ruler, and pay him tributes on his death anniversary.

They offer Fateh Khani, recite Quranic verses and throw light on his life. This day, they celebrate Urs to honor Chak, something not done in Kashmir.

Chak died in exile in Bihar after Mughal emperor Akbar annexed Kashmir in 1586 AD. His grave is in village Biswak of Nalanda district.

Some local religious preachers are invited. The graveyard is decorated and eatables are prepared and distributed among the assembled people.

Recently, the locals have themselves build a wall around the cemetery and renovated it.

The people in the adjacent villages narrate exact dates of his birth, death and exile, quoting history of Kashmir.

Quoting historical facts from the books and researches, they said that Chak was a brave, courageous and brilliant ruler of independent Kashmir.

The local care-taker of Chak’s cemetery, Yasir Rashid Khan  said that like generations of his family before him, he is looking after the tomb of Yusuf Shah Chak.

Khan has all the knowledge about Chak and is presently struggling to get the tomb recognized in national heritage list, something that J&K government supposed to do otherwise.

Khan, in the past, had even received death threats for opposing encroachments at the tomb by some land mafia in Bihar. He has long been campaigning for the restoration of the tomb, seeking help from the governments of both Bihar and J&K. His appeals have gone unheard so far.

In 2015, one of the volunteers, Dr Khalid Chak, who is great fan of Yusuf Shah Chak, extended his help to Khan in renovation of tomb and cemetery.

 “There are no curious visitors. In 1977, Sheikh Abdullah had visited the grave along with the historian M Y Taing. There is even a road here named after Sheikh Abdullah after he visited the tomb,” Khan told Greater Kashmir over phone.

 “According to historians, Chak was laid to rest on 23 Rabi-ul-Awal. It is because of this that we observe his death anniversary on this date,” he said.

One historical account says that Chak’s spouse and great poetess of Kashmir, Habba Khatoon is also laid to rest besides Chak in the same cemetery.

 “The poetry of Habba Khatoon is famous and sung in every house of Kashmir. It is unfortunate that the J&K government has failed to pay due respect to its last sovereign ruler and great poetess,” he said.

He said that he had written letters, applications and messages to Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti and the late Mufti Sayeed, but to no avail.

 “I have written more than 30 letters but have never received any response from Kashmir. There wasn’t any response even to my invitation for an annual Urs at the tomb which we have been organizing now. Separately, the minister Haseeb Drabu had once said he would speak with the Bihar government about the tomb, but never did,” he said.

He added that recently he had contacted Cultural Academy of J&K. “Mr Aziz Hajni Sahab gave patient hearing but said that situation in Kashmir is not conducive to take any measures for restoration of tomb,” he said.

In 2015, J&K government was contemplating to reclaim the mortal remains Chak.

The Ministry of Culture headed by senior PDP minister, Dr Haseeb Drabu, was working on a proposal to approach Government of Bihar to seek Chak’s mortal remains.

However, the development thereafter is still unknown.

Chak succeeded his father Ali Shah as the last emperor of independent Kashmir.

JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation has registered a business of Rs 22.33 crore in first two quarters of the financial year 2016-17 with 55% occupancy in establishments located in Kashmir and 37% in Jammu during the period, MD Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary told a review meeting.

A new website of JKTDC was launched for providing a convenient booking platform for tourists and showcasing tourist destinations and attractions across the state. The website of JKTDC also contains information of latest packages and discounts for customers and offers for tourism promotion. On the sidelines of the meeting a Calendar of JKTDC was also launched which depicts the scenic beauty of various destinations in Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh apart from providing a guide of accommodations and facilities in these areas. Tourism has been showcased as natural heritage of Jammu and Kashmir.

Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary also presented a resume of works taken up under SWADESH, PMDP, State Plan and corporation works. He further added about liability of payment to be cleared by Home Department, Revenue and Estates against rentals. He also underlined the strategy for bringing all units under cashless transactions and installation of CCTV cameras as well as upgradation of properties.

Issues related to Pay Commission arrears, leave encashment, CP fund DA arrears, payment of works liabilities and recovery of amount were also discussed.

JKTDC has also introduced cruise boats in Dal and Jhelum as a model tourism project. Corporation staff is being trained for cruise management

Srinagar: A large number of local youngsters joined the militant ranks in Kashmir during 2016, the highest number since 2013, posing a major challenge to Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP-BJP coalition that completes nine months in office next week. Most of the militants joined the ranks in four south Kashmir districts of Kulgam, Anantnag, Pulwama and Shopian.
Observers say that  the year 2016 has left behind a trail of memories the people and rulers would not forget easily. This was the most tumultuous year that saw multiple changes in guard followed by a complete breakdown of law and order.  On the year-end, even as the rulers feel content that they quelled a massive public uprising that erupted on July 8 following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani and his two comrades, the campaign left a huge impact on the ground situation and is difficult to offset in a short span.
The year began on an ominous note when Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed breathed his last in a New Delhi hospital on January 7. His daughter Mehbooba Mufti refused to take over immediately. The refusal triggered a constitutional crisis and Governor’s rule was imposed in the state. Initially it appeared that the Governor NN Vohra’s takeover would be temporary but Mehbooa added elements to her refusal and linked it with Center’s ill-treatment to her father during his month rule. She demanded guarantees from the alliance partner before taking over the reins of the PDP-BJP alliance. However, no guarantees were provided except the promise to follow the Agenda of Alliance, a document that the two parties framed as a roadmap before forging an alliance. Mehbooba, after a meeting with Prime Minister Narenda Modi in New Delhi, finally agreed to step into her father’s shoes and took oath on April 4.
Mehbooba was barely two weeks in office when four civilians including a woman were killed in north Kashmir’s Handwara town after a soldier allegedly molested a local schoolgirl, a charge refuted by the army. The incident triggered widespread anger and began the negative image building of the new CM.
In June, first budget session of the state legislature was held in Srinagar under Mehbooba’s rule. The opposition parties tried to bully the government over the human rights issues and lack of development but the government withstood the tirade because the opposition parties—National Conference and the Congress—had not left an unblemished track record when they were in power. Mehbooba and her colleagues vowed to pursue the path of development to bring the embattled state out of the morass.
However, that was not to be. On July 8, a game changing event took place when security forces shot dead Burhan Wani, the most popular militant of Hizbul Mujahideen outfit who had used social media to the hilt to create a niche for himself. Tens of thousands of people came out on streets to protest against the killing. More than 200,000 people took part in his funeral prayers at Tral in south Kashmir. This began a tumultuous phase in the recent history of Kashmir when security forces used “excessive force” to quell the uprising. By the end of October, at least 96 civilians were killed and over 15000 persons injured in action by security forces. The shocking part of the anti-uprising campaign was the unbridled use of pellet guns that ruptured the eyes of hundreds of people. At Sri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital in Srinagar, more than 120 youth were operated upon after being hit by pellets in their eyes. Some of them like 14-year-old Insha Manzoor lost their vision permanently. Thousands of security personnel also got injured during stone-pelting incidents, officials say.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh visited the Valley thrice but to no avail. He even led a 27-member parliamentary delegation but it did not cut ice. The separatists who spearheaded a continued shutdown for 133 days, refused to involve in talks. They issued protest calendars every week and crippled the normal life for months together.(Kashmir Reader)

Srinagar: After protests by students, the University of Kashmir has decided to give 20 per cent syllabus relaxation to all streams of the undergraduate final year course, the exams for which are scheduled from January 10.The Controller of Examination, University of Kashmir, Prof Salam Bhat said: “In section (A) of long-type questions, just four questions are to be attempted. This means students will get 20 per cent relaxation.”Students of BSc, BA and other streams earlier this week held a protest in Srinagar demanding relaxation in syllabus.The students could not attend colleges this year due to the unrest from July to November following the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani. Students said they had completed just 20 per cent of their syllabus in their colleges.However, no relaxation has been given to the postgraduate students of the university.The BSc final year students had also demanded that they be given more time between the papers and the date sheet be reviewed so that they could get more time to prepare.“We are considering changing the date sheet for the science stream, especially for chemistry, where students had admitted that they had problems. Also, the paper on January 28, when the Management Aptitude Test is scheduled, will be postponed. It will be notified,” Bhat said. (TNS)

Srinagar: The Restructured Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme (R-APDRP) which was started in 2008 as a revised version of the Accelerated Power Development Reforms Programme (APDRP) is almost a failure in Srinagar and its outskirts due to official apathy as material worth 200 crores rots under open sky in Srinagar outskirts.
Details available with Early Times reveal that APDRP scheme was initiated in 2003 as additional assistance to States for reducing the Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses in the power sector. The phase-II of this scheme was to be implemented by May 2017 in Srinagar, Jammu and few more towns and cities across state . As far as Srinagar and its outskirts are concerned not even 5% of the work has been completed till date.
The project had been awarded to M/s. EMC Limited, Kolkata but due to some technical issues between the company and the Power Development Department ordinary people are made to suffer. The 4 months unrest further aggravated this problem.A special investigation team of Early Times found Material worth around 200 Crores lying under open sky at the warehouse of M/s. EMC ltd. located at Kralpora Chadoora District, Rangreth Srinagar & Pampore . This material consists of more than 5000 transformers, 65000 Electric and 15000 kms of Electric Wire plus 3000 electric meters , conductors , and other material.
“There has been unrest in Kashmir valley for three months but rest of the nine months were quite normal and not even one transformer was installed at anyplace in Srinagar due to official apathy . From last two months the situation has normalized in Kashmir Valley but authorities are yet to initiate the work on this project” said Dr Mushtaq Khan senior RTI Activist who have exposed this official irregularity.“The bureaucratic interference adds to the sufferings of common people who are facing lots of power crisis during these cold winter days. As we are aware that it is the peak winter season in Kashmir and the snowfall can take place anytime and that will cause severe damage to this material which is a direct loss to the state exchequer” Dr Mushtaq added
The Aggregate Technical and Commercial Loss captures the total loss in the distribution network. Technical loss may be due to ill maintained equipment, substations and inadequate investment in infrastructure while commercial loss may be due to low metering efficiency, faulty meter reading, theft and pilferages.
This scheme is meant to improve the quality and reliability of power supply. This was to be achieved by strengthening and upgrading the sub-transmission and distribution system of high density load centres like towns and industrial centres.
APDRP scheme was restructured as a central sector scheme and renamed as R-APDRP. The Power Finance Corporation (PFC) is the nodal agency to operationalize the scheme under the guidance of Ministry of Power. PFC will act as a single window service provider under the scheme and coordinate with the different stakeholders like Power Ministry , APDRP Steering Committee, Central Electricity Authority, Financial Institutions, State Electricity Boards/Utilities and Consultants.R-APDRP is a scheme meant for urban areas- towns and cities with population of more than 30,000 (10,000 in case of special category states).The focus of R-APDRP is on actual, demonstrable performance in terms of sustained loss reduction. This is proposed to be achieved in two parts: Part A of the scheme envisages establishment of base line data which includes consumer indexing, GIS mapping and metering of distribution transformers and feeders and SCADA/DMS (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition System/Data Management System) in project areas having a population of 4 lakh and annual input energy of 350 MU. This part of the scheme also includes IT applications for energy accounting/auditing and IT based consumer service. Part B of the scheme is for renovation, modernization and strengthening of distribution systems.
” Power Department is not cooperating with the company and due to which they want to quit from the work as officials are allegedly harassing them. Power Department says that company is not adhering to contract norms. In nutshell public money is at stake.
On one hand people are coming on roads for restoration of power supply , they are demanding transformers and on the other hand 5000 transformers are lying under open sky from last one year” says Mohammad Ayaz a local of Kralpora.

Srinagar: The State Health authorities on Friday issued an advisory on H1N1 influenza (Swine Flu) following a death of a patient who had tested positive for the virus. While authorities asserted that there was no need to panic, they however stressed on the need to exercise caution.

The 43-year old man from south Kashmir (name withheld), who had tested positive for H1N1 influenza and had developed Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) died at the SMHS hospital on December 21, sources told Greater Kashmir.

Medical Superintendent SMHS, Dr Nazir A Chaudhary said the patient was the lone case of the Flu the SMHS hospital had received. “We have already taken adequate precautionary measures and we have administered prophylaxis to his attendants,” he said.

The GMC health officials stressed that H1N1 flu was ‘endemic’ implying that the cases were found quite often in this geographical area without causing much of a virulent activity in most cases. “It is not expected to cause an outbreak because this virus has been in the community like many other microbes,” Dr Saleem Khan HoD Social and Preventive Medicine GMC Srinagar said.

Dr Parvaiz A Kaul, influenza expert and HoD Internal Medicine SKIMS, said currently there was “some circulation of virus in our state”, but quite like the “normal flu”.

“H1N1 is the major strain of circulating viruses right now,” he said. He however cautioned that the state has seen similar pattern of the virus as has seen in New Delhi.”

“A spike in cases was expected,” he said, adding it takes at least two weeks for the vaccine to build immunity against the virus.

“Necessary precautions on the community level, health authorities said, were the best way to safeguard against this and other flu, for the masses,” said a doctor.

He said considering the past behaviour of the virus, it was advisable to go for influenza vaccination, especially for children, pregnant women, elderly, diabetics and patients with kidney and lung diseases, asthmatics, and health care workers.

“Injectibles vaccines are currently available in market, and the heath advisory by GMC stated that nasal spray vaccines were also available and very effective as an individual level measure,” the doctor said.

In the beginning of 2015, in the span of three months, at least 26 people had died due to H1N1 influenza, the government had told the state legislature.

Doctors said that mass testing was not required and only those patients that the doctors felt required to be tested must go for it. H1N1 testing facilities were available at SKIMS Soura as well as GMC Srinagar, authorities said.

Srinagar: The longest dry spell in a decade in Kashmir is likely to end next week as local Metrological department Friday predicted rains and snowfall from January 4 to 6, next year.

“Light to moderate snowfall is likely to occur on higher reaches while plains would also receive widespread rains and snowfall from January 4 to January 6,” Sonam Lotus, Director of MeT Department here told Greater Kashmir. 

He said on January 4, weather would remain partly cloudy and rains are likely to occur. “On January 5, snowfall is likely to occur on higher reaches while in plains rains and snowfall may also take place,” he said.

 “From mid-September till date, Kashmir has only recorded 5 mm rainfall against the normal rainfall of 100 mm,” he said.

He said Kashmir should have received more than 100 mm rainfall from September to December as per “normal” figures.

“It is the biggest dry spell that Kashmir has witnessed in a decade. Every year, we witness a few months of dry weather, but this year it has persisted for a longer time,” said Lotus. 

He said Kashmir witnessed a long dry spell in 2007, but it lasted only for three months. 

“In 2007, no rainfall was recorded for consecutive three months—October, November and December. However in 2016, the dry spell is likely to enter fifth consecutive month,” he said.

In July and August this year, 31 mm and 16 mm rainfall was recorded respectively and since then the dry spell continues.

Meanwhile, officials said Srinagar on Tuesday recorded maximum temperature of 11.9 degree Celsius and minimum of minus 4.3 degrees Celsius while Pahalgam recorded minus 3.4 degrees Celsius and Kupwara minus 3.7 degrees Celsius. 

The official said the night temperature in Srinagar city was two degrees below the normal for this time of the season and it was the coldest place in Kashmir Valley. 

He said the mercury went down by nearly three degrees in Leh, in Ladakh region of the state, from the previous night’s minus 7.9 degrees Celsius, to settle at a freezing minus 10.7 degrees Celsius.

He informed that Jammu recorded the maximum temperature 22.3 degree Celsius and minimum of minus 9.4 degrees Celsius.

“The weather would remain dry during next 24 hours,” he said. 

 

Srinagar: At a time when entire India is fighting for eradication of black money, Kashmir-based schools are busy in doing the opposite.
Though the Education ministry has been repeatedly informed about many prominent private schools in the Valley laundering black money, there has been no action against the erring institutes. Instead, the parents allege, the schools have been given a free hand.
Reports inform that that at the onset of admission process in Kashmir for KG classes, several private schools demand hefty amounts from the parents in the name of ‘donation’ or admission fee. At least six top schools in the Valley have extracted no less than Rs 70, 000 for each admission.
But to utter surprise of everyone, these schools do not issue any receipt against the money they extract in the name of admission fee. Each of these schools admits at least 150 students in KG. “There is no receipt given against the so-called admission fee. There are no records kept for the same. We really don’t know where that money goes,” says a parent who recently admitted his 4-year-old son in a prominent school based in Srinagar.
Parents also say that against the ‘donation fee’, the receipt is issued for just Rs 3000 instead of Rs 70, 000. “This is clear anarchy. But the saddest part of it is that the government isn’t doing anything. This is black money laundering, and it seems that the Education Department is hand in glove with these private institutions,” says another parent.
Moreover, representations from several parent associations were given to the Education Department over the issue, but to no avail.
The parents also alleged that the incumbent Education Minister, Naeem Akhat Andrabi, who makes hefty claims about revolutionizing education sector in J&K is deliberately not taking any action against these schools.
In 2013, the then government had constituted a panel to fix the fee structure for private institutions in the state.
The government had also underlined the importance of putting in place rational fee structure in private education institutes operating in the state.
However, three years down the line, no action has been taken against any erring school by the panel.

Early Times Report