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Srinagar: The on-going unrest with consistent curfew and protests is feared to have delayed the commissioning of 330 Megawatt Kishan Ganga Hydro Electric Power Project. Expected to get ready by November 2016, it will take almost 18 months more.

The project coming up at the cost of Rs 5783.17 crores (revised) in Mantrigam (Bandipora) was originally scheduled to complete by November 2016 however, the longest unrest that has already completed four months, has impacted constructions. Even the work on Dam Site in Gurez was suspended for over 20 days when affected villagers suspended work demanding proper rehabilitation and benefits.

Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) is executing the project for the NHPC, India’s hydropower giant.

In August on the occasion of NHPC’s foundation day, its Chairman and Managing Director KM Singh though expressed hope of completing the project by the year-end but at the same time admitted that the movement of the workers and material transportation has become very difficult due to law and order problem.

Power House, Switch Yard, Tail Race Tunnel and Dam spot are the main project operation sites that were badly affected by the on-going unrest. The work on all the sites stands suspended from last 3 and half months. One contractor has even stopped salary to its most of the workers and employees.

“We were unable to install turbines, transport material even most of over workers were unable to attend the operation sites,” an officer said. He said that the one-month suspension of work on project means six months delay”

After killing of Hizbul Commander Burhan Wani on 8 July until mid-September the traffic on the road leading to project site-Pazalpora, Mantrigam, Sonawrani-traffic remains suspended only a few vehicles were playing during night hours.

However, work on Dam Site in Gurez was running smoothly that too was disrupted when affected villager’s stage protest and suspend work for over 20 days in August. During the heavy snow and chilly winter season- January to March – the work remains suspended on the Dam site for over three to four months in the year.

The electro-magnetic contractor has installed two turbines (110 MW each) but are unable to install the third one for which material couldn’t be transported, while the work on Switched Yard is yet to start, sources said.

Jammu: Minister for Education, Naeem Akhtar today convened a meeting with consultative committee of the experts and State Collaborators (SIE and DIETs etc.) to chalk out an action plan for implementation of Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya National Mission on Teachers and Teaching (PMMMNMTT) in the state.
The meeting was organized by the Department of Educational Studies, Central University of Jammu.
Vice Chancellor CU Jammu, Prof. Ashok Aima, Head & Dean, Department of Educational Studies CUJ Prof. Lokesh K Verma, Head & Dean, CU Assam Prof. Nityanand Pandey, Dean School of Education Jamia Millia Islamia, Prof. Anita Rastogi, Head & Dean CU Kasmir Prof. Nadeem, Director School Education Jammu Babita Rakwal, Field Advisor SIE, CEOs Jammu and Samba, faculty and scholars of Department of Educational Studies were among the members of the consultative committee.
During the meeting, the Minister stressed on the need to revisit the education system in the state and called for coordination among various agencies involved in implementation of various education schemes.
The Minister emphasized on creating integration to generate pool of academic and intellectual young minds having scientific temper while highlighting the areas of immediate intervention required in the field of school education and teacher education.
He said that focus should be laid on the capacity building programme in science, mathematics and languages with the effective use of ICT. The meeting decided to develop SIE and DIET, Jammu and DIET Srinagar as incubating centers and model institutions for quality teaching and teacher programmes.
Earlier, Prof. Ashok Aima, VC, CUJ, stressed on the need to bridge gap between university and school education and assured of all possible financial and academic support.
Later, the Minister visited Government Primary School at Sainik Colony and inspected the quality of Mid-day meal being given to the students besides taking stock of other facilities available there.
The Minister also interacted with the students and exhorted upon them to concentrate on their studies besides focusing on extra-curricular activities for their overall development.
Chief Education Officer and other officers accompanied the Minister.

Full mandate given to united resistance leadership regarding the continuance of resistance movement.

Srinagar: A meeting of different organization and associations convened by the joint resistance leadership, Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Muhammad Umer Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik, was held today at Hyderpora Srinagar in which stake holders from all walks of life participated with enthusiasm and fervor. Representatives of religio-political & social organizations, trade and transport fraternity, educationists, intellectuals, lawyers and others participated in the said meeting, from whom opinions and suggestion where sought regarding the current phase of the movement. All the participants unanimously appreciated united face of resistance leadership and authorized them with their full mandate and support to continue the freedom struggle with zeal and passion. It was emphasized upon both, leadership and nation, to remain steadfast and committed to take the freedom struggle to its logical end. Participants stressed upon the people in general and stakeholders in particular to be aware of the nefarious designs of the oppressor who exploit them through many tools. They said that economic losses, educational hiccups and social constrains are a part of the freedom movement and we all should overcome them collectively with firmness, wisdom, and patience. It was unanimously decided that the programs from the Joint Resistance Leadership should be followed in letter and spirit and whosoever violated it should be convinced and conveyed that discipline and resilience has to be adopted for achieving our goal as our freedom struggle is nourished by the sacred blood of our martyrs. In this representative meeting the unwavering support and unparalleled hardships faced by the people during these 122 days of the besieged valley was hailed by one and all and everybody opined that the present uprising of long walk of our freedom is one of the glorious and praiseworthy phases. At the end prayers were held for the martyrs who sacrificed their today for our tomorrow and we all owe them our commitment to fight for what they have giver their life. Those who participated and gave their valuable suggestions and opinion among which worthy to mention are Ameer-e-Jamaat Islami Gh. Mohammad Bhat, President Jamait-e-Ahli Hadith Gh. Ahmad Bhat, Gh. Rasool Hami (Karwani Islami), Moulana Khursheed Ahmad Kanoongo (Himayat-ul-Islam), Mirwaiz Qazi Yasir Ahmad (Umat-e-Islami), Jagmohan Raina, Narinder Khalisa Ji, Mohammad Abdullah Tari (Democratic Freedom Party), Farooq Ahmad Dar (Bita Karatay), Mian Abdul Qayooum (Bar Association), Mohammad Hussain Khan (Prof. kashmir University), Abdul Majeed Zargar (Civil Society), Choudray Showkat (Kashmir Economic Aliance), Mushtaq Ahmad Wani (Kashmir Chamber of Commerce), Mushtaq Ahmad Chaya (Hotel Association), Mohammad Yousuf Chapri (House Boat Association), Moulana Syed Waris Shah Bukhari, Doctors Association, Masroor Abas Ansari (Ithad-ul-Muslimeen), Dr. Yousuf-ul-Umar (Study Circle), Gh. Nabi War (Pvt. School Association), Mohammad Yasin Khan (Economic Allience), Hafizullah Bakshi (Traders Association Kupwara), Syed Himad (Student), Mohammad Yousuf Mir (Muslim League), Nayeem Ahmad Khan (National Front), Bashir Ahmad Rather (KTFM), Mushtaq Sagar (Traders Representative), Fayaz Shabnam ((EJAC), Haji Sajad Hakeem (Trader Islamabad), S. Badha Singh Ji, Haji Mohammad Ashraf (Trader Sopore), Ajaz Ahmad Sofi (Trader Handwara), Khurshhed Ahmad (Buopaar Mandal), Bashir Ahmad Bashir (Fruit Mandi), Mushtaq Ahmad Dareel (Trader), Abdul Qayoum Wani (KMD), Gh. Rasol Zari (Western Bus Stand), Gh. Mohammad Nagoo (Anjuman Shar-e-Shiyaan), Zamrooda Habib (Kashmir Tehreek-Khawateen), Yasmeen Raja (Muslim Khawateen Markaz), Enginner Mukhtar Yousuf, Fayaaz Bakshi (Chairman Sumo Drivers)  Sheikh Mohammad Yousuf (Transporter) Tahir Ahmad Lone. 

‘Noted an overwhelming sentiment amongst the Kashmiris’

Start talks with separatists, others in JK: Panel to govt

New Delhi: Yashwant Sinha led delegation that visited Kashmir Valley last month and met different stakeholders including separatist leaders in their basic finding have stated that the Kashmiris they met spoke to virtually the same script about the history of the Kashmir issue. They may have varied in the exposition of a particular issue but basically all of them argued for a political solution to what they perceived as a political issue. They made the point that this is the fifth generation of Kashmiris which was protesting but to no avail.

    The delegation has made various recommendations and has hoped that both State and Central Government would implement them.

   The visiting group consisted of Yashwant Sinha (Former External Affairs Minister) Wajahat Habibullah (Former Chief Information Commissioner and former Chairman of National Minorities Commission), Air Vice Marshal (Retd) Kapil Kak, Bharat Bhushan (Editor, Catchnews) and Sushobha Barve(Executive Program Director of Centre for Dialogue and Reconciliation – CDR)

    The delegation has cited many reasons for immediate anger including the excessive use of force by security forces, use of pellet guns, night-time raids by security forces, misuse of Public Safety Act (PSA), destruction of electric transformers and crops in rural areas, attacks on Kashmiris outside J&K, refusal to recognize Kashmir as a politically contentious issue, refusal to recognize the emotional and sentimental aspects of the Kashmir issue, designating all Kashmiris as Pakistani puppets, no dialogue with Pakistan, Vajpayee line on Kashmir jettisoned, Indian public is indifferent to the plight of Kashmiris, Kashmir being pushed towards anarchy, Kashmiri Pandits living in the Valley, Regression from autonomy to uniformity; togetherness to communalism

     In their recommendations the group has said that the sense of despair and desperation in Kashmir is increasing by the day. There was unanimity among the civil society and mainstream political leaders that dialogue must begin with the inclusion of the separatist political leaders. The question then is how to ease the existence of ordinary Kashmiris while leaving aside the complexities of resolving the Kashmir issue permanently.

Steps that the J&K state government can take including start the process of reopening schools and as a precursor to this, release forthwith all first time offender school children and minors arrested under PSA, consider postponing school examinations to a later date instead of insisting on holding them from November 15. Children who have been in jail have not probably had access to textbooks and other teaching material. They should be given sufficient time to prepare for exams. Repeat offenders amongst minors must be shifted out of adult jails and put up in temporarily designated juvenile detention centres and given psychological counseling. Compensation must be announced for the next of kin of the civilians killed and for those wounded in police or action by the other security forces. This money may be transferred as DBT to designated accounts to prevent extortion and rent-seeking from the suffering families by the state bureaucracy.

Rehabilitation packages must be announced to ensure the life-time income needs of those permanently blinded by pellet guns. Compensation and free treatment (both in India and abroad, if necessary) at state government expense for those who have been partially blinded by pallet guns. Set up a blind school in Srinagar for children blinded by pellet guns. The state does not have a blind school and this may be a means of rehabilitation by the state to provide education for children with blindness or partially blindness. Order a judicial commission into excesses by the police, especially the wanton use of pellet guns. While it is widely accepted that such commissions rarely lead to any conclusions, they serve a therapeutic purpose of allowing people to emotionally express themselves and it also helps project the state government as an accountable institution.

        As per the delegation, steps that the Union government can take including ban the pellet gun with immediate effect as a crowd control weapon. This will have a salutary impact on the Kashmiris. This is not something that should be left to committees or to the security forces. Work with the media not to escalate the situation in Kashmir. Educate media owners about the sensitive nature of the Kashmir issue and not add fuel to the fire in search of viewers and revenue. Dispel the perception that Kashmir and Kashmiris are mere tools to be used for electoral purposes. In its interactions with Kashmiris the centre might reiterate the approach enunciated by the Hon’ble PM  that Kashmiris are Indians. GOI move quickly to give facilities of migrants to Pandits continuing to reside in Kashmir Division of J&K.

     “Although separatist leaders like Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq talked of being prepared for a dialogue (Geelani talked of “unconditional” talks), it was not within the competence of this group of concerned citizens to suggest when or if such a dialogue process should be started.”

   However, what we would like to emphasise is that we noted an overwhelming sentiment amongst the Kashmiris we interacted with for setting up a permanent process of dialogue with New Delhi. One of the reasons why so many doors were opened for us by the separatists and ordinary Kashmiris alike was because they saw our visit as a beginning of engagement with ordinary Indians.

 “The agenda of alliance of the BJP-PDP Coalition Government also commits to a dialogue with all the stakeholders. We recommend that such a dialogue is initiated at the earliest.”  (CNS)

Say don’t want to carry a tag like ‘1991 passes’

Srinagar: While the State Board of School Education (BOSE) is readying to conduct the examinations scheduled for this month with relaxation in the syllabus for the candidates, the students have all together a different story to tell.

Several students of class 12th said even if they haven’t completed the whole syllabus, but they don’t need any relaxation as it would later only give them a tag like the students of 1991, who are now known as “91 paas”.

“We need ample time and will prepare for the whole syllabus. We don’t need any relaxation in syllabus.  We don’t need any favour from government,” said a group of students of class 12th.

They said, “If government wants our view about the examination, then we will prepare for 100 per cent of syllabus.”

Another student, Aqsa Javaid said, “We don’t want to hear from people that we passed the exams because it was easy for us as we had to prepare for half syllabus,” she said.

The students said they are ready for exams either in November or March, but they don’t want to be called “like 91 pass”.

Rehana Farooq, a student from Ganderbal said that it is better to hold the exams in March. “It will let us focus on the entrance exams. Otherwise, our focus would shift between studying the entrance examination and Class exams,” she said.

However, 1991 pass candidates is not even remotely related to this 2016 issue because in 1991 there was mass copying in examination centers, while in this case there is no such thing.

“We have been demanding deferment of exams to complete our syllabus and if the government will not start class work then the decision will be no more favorable for us. We are ready to sit in the exam but not with relaxation,” they said. (PTK)

Challenges Govt. to constitute School Defence Committees on pattern of Village Defence Committees.  

Srinagar: AIP Supremo and MLA Langate Er. Rasheed has said that surprising silence by Jammu based trade union leaders and various employees’ unions over terminating of services of twelve Kashmiri employees and forcing teachers to act as Chowkidars has exposed their true face. In a statement issued today Er Rashid said “those who used to raise slogans that from Jammu to Kashmir all employees are one and were taking administration and people on and often hostage in the name of rights of employees, seem to have got disappeared from earth. It is obvious that these Jammu based trade union leaders have been taken not only into confidence by the Nagpur controlled regime but they because of their Anti Muslim and Anti Kashmir agenda have preferred to keep total criminal silence over the issue.” He said “the way Govt. has issued more than twenty thousand weapons in the hands of RSS and other right wing organizations in Jammu province, in the name of so called Village Defence Committees, will the Govt. constitute School Defence Committees in Kashmir on the same pattern and distribute weapons to Kashmiri Volunteers. However it needs not even to be discussed that for New Delhi and its extension wings in Kashmir every Kashmiri especially a Muslim is a suspect and it would never dare to handover even toy guns in the hands of Kashmiri Volunteers”. Er. Rashid appealed teacher community, trade union leaders and others who truly feel the pain to come forward and launch a decisive movement to force Govt. to withdraw the notorious orders of reducing teachers to the level of Chowkidars and terminating services of twelve employees.