Day of normalcy in Kashmir
Maisuma tense, curfew continues in Ananatnag
Srinagar Sept 1:
Barring Ananatnag district in South Kashmir and Maiusma locality of Srinagar, life across the Valley Wednesday returned to normal, Geelani had given relaxation for a complete day on August 27, September 1 and 3 to allow people to offer congregational Friday prayers and pile us stocks in view of Ramadan.
Reports and eyewitnesses told Newspoint that after remaining paralyzed for four consecutive days due to Hurriyat strike and government curbs, life in Srinagar and most of the parts of the Valley returned to normal this morning.
All shops, government and private offices, banks and financial institutions, business establishments, school and colleges, petrol pumps across the valley resumed their work. The markets that wore a deserted look in the past days, were bustling with shoppers.
The transport that remained affected due to the curfew, restrictions and strike also returned on almost all the roads and highways.
Many government, semi-government and private banks that resumed business activities after four day gap were over crowded with the customers. A serpentine queue of people could also be witnessed outside the ATM’s.
Choked roads, traffic jams, unruly scenes were witnessed at many places in the city centre as people swarmed to make necessary purchases. Traffic cops had a tough time while regulating traffic at important roads and transaction.
The commuters travelling in the city, particularly through Maulana Azad road, residency road, Hari Singh high and Jehangir chowk faced inconvenience due to frequent traffic jams triggered by the heavy flow of traffic.
Meanwhile, tension prevailed in Miasuma locality of the uptown where a shutdown was observed to protest the firing on a youth by a cop on Monday. The condition of the youth remains critical.
All shops, government offices, schools, coaching centers, banks in the area remained closed as youth staged demonstrations against the police action. Fearing widespread protests and clashes, forces were withdrawn from the area.
Uneasy calm also prevailed in curfew bound Ananatnag district of South Kashmir where as many as seventeen policemen were injured when protesters attacked their van in Nai Basti area last night.
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CRPF and police had also erected barricades and laid barbed wire at many places to prevent people from taking out protest marches in the district against the killing of teenager by on Monday evening.
Govt rejects Qayoom’s shifting to Valley again
Srinagar Sept 1::
The state government Wednesday again declined shifting of Kashmir High Court Bar Association President, advocate Mian Abdul Qayoom to Kashmir valley while as the lawyer’s body announced to file contempt proceedings against state government.
Vice president of KHBA, Advocate Aijaz Baidar, told Newspoint that government in its report today informed the High Court about the refusal to shift Mian Qayoom here. The government has cited that the jail buildings in Kupwara were under construction and that shifting Mian Qayoom to the place was a “security risk,” Baider said.
It was on August 17 last when the government declined for the first time to shift advocate Mian Qayoom from Hirannagar jail to central jail here. Soon after the rejection in August, the Bar association filed a contempt proceeding against the government following which the court directed for the status of the jails in the Valley. The state administration after informed to again reconsider the Mian Qayoom shifting to least occupied Kupwara jail.
Meanwhile, after the development, the Bar Association announced to take recourse of legal measures and have decided to file contempt proceeding against Home Commissioner, advocate Baider said.
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The Home Commissioner is also learnt to have rejected the representation over the arrest of advocate Mian Qayoom on “mala fide considerations”.
Counsel for petitioner, Advocate Manzoor Ahmad Dar, had filed a representation with the Home Commissioner, stating therein that advocate Mian Qayoom was booked under PSA on malafide consideration for raising human rights violations, providing legal aid to the detainees and also on statement against present SSP Srinagar.
Regarding the habeas-corpus petitions pertaining to bar general secretary, Ghulam Nabi shaheen, the court also listed the cases on the same day.
Govt eases job scheme formalities
Srinagar Sept 1:
Government on Wednesday announced to have eased formalities under Sher-e-Kashmir Employment and Welfare Programme for Youth (SKEWPY) to increase its reach conveniently to maximum number of unemployed youth in the State.
Addressing a press conference here, Minister for Higher Education, Labour and Employment, Abdul Gani Malik said that the Government has waived off condition of land holding for giving Voluntary Service Allowance (VSA) to the unemployed youth of the State.
He said the Government has also reduced the age of eligible candidates from 28 to 26 years, adding that the VSA will now be disbursed to the candidates in the age group of 26 to 37 years.
The cabinet which earlier met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had constituted a Cabinet Sub-Committee headed by Minister for PHE & Irrigation, Taj Mohi-ud-Din and the Minister for Agriculture, Ghulam Hassan Mir and Minister for Higher Education& Employment, A. G. Malik its members. The Sub-Committee in its second meeting on August 31 decided to make amendments and incorporate new premium to cater to large chunk of unemployed youth under VSA.
Malik said that Government has also increased Rs 100 allowance for all categories, adding that the VSA will now be given in the range of Rs 600 to Rs 1200, starting from matriculates to post- graduates and engineering and medical graduates.
He said that relaxation has also been given in the annual income slab, which has been raised from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1.50 lakh. He said with the waiving off these conditions as many as additional 32000 unemployed youth will be brought under the ambit of scheme, raising the total number of eligible youth to 1.57 lakh in the State.
The Minister said that all the Deputy Commissioners across the State have been asked to step up the implementation at block and tehsil levels so that more and more deserving unemployed educated youth are covered under the scheme at the earliest. He further said that MLAs, MLCs and Deputy Commissioners have been asked to supervise and monitor the scheme in their respective constituencies and recommend genuine cases for immediate disposal.
Malik further said that the employment exchanges at district levels have already been renamed as District Employment and Counselling Centres which have so far registered 5.95 lakh unemployed educated youth including students between the age group of 18 to 37 years.
Replying to a question, the Minister said that an amount of Rs 122 crore has been worked out as financial implication per year for the scheme, adding that Rs 76 crore have been already kept available with the District Employment and Counselling Centres in the State.
The Minister sought cooperation of media in popularizing the scheme and extending its benefits to the unemployed promptly. Describing the scheme as a revolutionary step, he said J&K State is the first-ever State to have initiated such a big unique initiative in the country.
The Minister, however admitted that VSA is not a holistic solution to unemployment problem in the State. He said the scheme facilitates the unemployed youth to switch over to other employment ventures in due course of time.
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Pro-India leader faces public ire at city centre
Srinagar Sept 1:
A pro-India political activist who had brought a group of about four female students from central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district for a protest demonstration to Lal Chowk area here was heckled by people on Wednesday.
Reports and eyewitnesses told Newspoint that a group of primary school students led by Farooq Ahmad Ganderbali, who unsuccessfully contested the 2008 assembly elections from Ganderbal constituency on the ticket of Ghulam Hassan Mir-led JK Democratic Nationalist Party, appeared at the Press Enclave this afternoon and staged a demonstration.
The pro-India politician was raising slogans and demanding an end to the ongoing agitation while the students were carrying placards and banners that read "We want freedom from poverty,” “We want freedom from illiteracy,” We want freedom from backwardness," “Education is our right”.
Ganderbali told reporters that the ongoing agitation should be called off as it was having an “adverse” impact on the students and the education system.
As the pro-India leader was addressing the media men, scores of people cornered him and questioned his objections against the ongoing agitation. Angry youth attacked Ganderbali and forced him to make a hasty retreat.
“Our kids are being killed day in and day out by the forces. At the moment, their life is supreme to us, not their education. We have lost 65 people, including teenage students to the bullets of the forces. We will stop only, when Kashmir achieves freedom from killing,” the angry crowd told reporters and Ganderbali, who fled the spot along with the students.
Kulgam man killed in bear attack
Srinagar Sept 1::
A man was mauled to death by a bear in a forest area in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district, officials told Newspoint Wednesday.
They said in the latest incident of man-animal conflict, 65-year-old Abdul Rehman, son of Gaffar Chak of Manzgam, Damhal Hanjipora was attacked and injured by a bear when he was walking past near Halan forest area of the district. Rehman, who was critically wounded in the attack, was rescued by the locals on hearing the screams. He was rushed to Manzgam hospital for treatment. However, he succumbed to injuries.
Police handed the body to the family after legal formalities.(With inputs from PBI) Pix Zulfiqar khan
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