Grenade blast has taken place at Nowhatta Srinagar in the evening.Ten security personnel are injured in the blast.One injured policeman has succumbed.Details are awaited
Narendra Modi inaugurated Asia’s longest bi-directional road tunnel
Complimenting people of the State on the inauguration of Chenani-Nashri tunnel, Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti has hoped that the tunnel would not only minimize the distances between Jammu and Srinagar but also prove to be a harbinger of bridging the psychological barriers between the people of the State and rest of the country.
The Chief Minister said this while addressing a largely attended public meeting here today which was also addressed by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.
Earlier, the Prime Minister inaugurated the 9.2 KM long tunnel on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway at Chenani. Governor N N Vohra, Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of State in Prime Minister’s Office, Dr Jitendra Singh, Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Nirmal Singh, Legislators Dr Dina Nath Baghat and Neelam Kumar Langeh besides officials of MoRTH, National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), IL&FS Infrastructure and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.
Mehbooba Mufti said youth of the State who have gone through a tough phase of uncertainty and gloom need to be reached out to get Jammu and Kashmir out of the present phase of difficulties and desolation. She said people of the State expect Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, who she said exhibits the unparalleled determination of taking bold decisions, to help them in taking Jammu & Kashmir out of these uncertain situations and build a prosperous future for them.
Thanking the Prime Minister for all out support to the State Government, the Chief Minister said a lot has happened in J&K due to the support of the Central Government but a lot still remains to be done. She said the ‘Agenda of Alliance’ reached out between PDP and BJP has received the endorsement of the people of the State and the country, who now eagerly await, its time bound implementation. This, she added, would not only bring an end to the miseries of the people here but also strengthen their faith in the country’s democratic discourse thereby helping them in rejecting the path of violence and acrimony.
Ms Mehbooba said few days back a group of tour operators of Kashmir Valley met her and requested to extend an invitation to the Prime Minister to visit Kashmir so that a message of hospitality goes out to the tourists within and outside the country.
Mehbooba Mufti said the basic objective for the two parties to come together in Jammu & Kashmir was to usher in an era of massive development in the State besides taking it out of its perennial miseries and problems.
Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Nitin Gadkari; Union Minister of State for DoNER, Dr Jitendra Singh and Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Nirmal Singh also addressed the gathering.
Earlier, on his arrival at the Udhampur Airport, Prime Minister, Narendra Modi was received by N N Vohra, Governor, Mehbooba Mufti, Chief Minister, Kavinder Gupta, Speaker, Legislative Assembly, Haji Anayat Ali, Chairman, Legislative Council, Dr Nirmal Singh, Deputy Chief Minister, Chander Parkash Ganga, Minister for Industries & Commerce, Bali Bhagat, Minister for Health & Medical Education, Choudhary Lal Singh, Minister for Forest, Environment & Ecology, Chering Dorjay, Minister for Cooperatives and Ladakh Affairs, Sham Lal Choudhary, Minister for PHE, I&FC, Naeem Akhtar, Minister for Public Works (R&B), Abdul Ghani Kohli, Minister for Animal/Sheep Husbandry & Fisheries, Sunil Kumar Sharma, Minister of State for Transport (Independent charge), Revenue, Public Works (Roads & Buildings), Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, Agriculture Production, YSS, Priya Sethi, Minister of State for Education, Technical Education, Culture, Tourism, Department of Horticulture, Floriculture and Parks, Ajay Nanda, Minister of State for Finance and Planning, Information Technology, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Jugal Kishore Sharma, Member of Parliament, Shamsher Singh Manhas, Member of Parliament, Sat Sharma, MLA (State President, BJP), Ashok Khajuria, MLC, Ajatshatru Singh, MLC, B R Sharma, Chief Secretary, J&K, Lieutenant General D Anbu, GOC-in-C Northern Command, S P Vaid, Director General of Police, J&K, Sachchiclanand Shrivastava, Special DG, CRPF, Dr Pawan Kotwal, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu and other dignitaries.
New school timing in Kashmir from April 1
According to the Directorate of School Education Kashmir the school timings both in respect of Government as well as recognized private schools within the Municipal limits of Srinagar city, shall be from 9 am to 3 pm from April 01, 2017.
While the timing of schools falling outside Srinagar Municipal limits shall be from 10 am to 4 pm. All the school heads of Kashmir division have been asked to follow these instructions strictly.
Chenani-Nashri Tunnel inauguration: Div Com reviews arrangements
Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Dr Pawan Kotwal today held a meeting through video-conference with Deputy Commissioners of Udhampur, Reasi and Ramban districts to take stock of arrangements for the inauguration of Chenani-Nashri tunnel.
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the newly constructed 9.2 Km passageway on April 2, 2017.
Divisional Commissioner gave directions to concerned authorities for ensuring timely completion of adequate arrangements for the event.
Dr Kotwal also discussed the traffic management including alternate traffic routes for facilitating the travel by general public. He reviewed the media related arrangements and directed the concerned authorities to ensure smooth press coverage.
After threadbare discussion on security and other vital arrangements, all the officers of Civil, Army, Intelligence agencies and Police have been directed to maintain highest level of coordination.
Earlier, Deputy Commissioner Udhampur, Neeraj Kumar, Deputy Commissioner Reasi Ravinder Kumar and Deputy Commissioner Ramban, Mohammad Aijaz briefed the Divisional Commissioner about the present status of arrangements being made by them.
The meeting was also attended by Additional Commissioner Jammu Rehana Batul, IG Traffic Jammu Jagjit Kumar, Director Hospitality and Protocol Majid Drabu, Director State Motor Garages Zakir Choudhary, Director Health Dr. Gurjeet Singh, Director Fire and Emergency Services Rajinder K Hak, Chief Engineer PHE Sushil Aima, Chief Engineer R&B Jammu Alok Mengi, Chief Engineer PDD Ashwani Gupta, Joint Director H&P Dr Naseem J Choudhary, Joint Director Information Jammu Manisha Sarin, SSP PCR Jammu Joginder Singh, TDM Udhampur Manohar Lal, GM BSNL Gautam Lal, Project Director NHAI Jammu, other senior officers of Civil, Security and Army.
Govt committed to return of Kashmiri Pandits to valley
Minister for Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Law and Justice Abdul Haq today said the government is working on different fronts to create conducive atmosphere for the return of Kashmiri Pandits to Kashmir valley.
Minister was interacting with members of Kashmiri Pandit Community at Paloura Jammu. He was accompanied by Legislators Abdul Majeed Padder and Yasir Reshi. He said some divisive forces are hell bent to create mistrust among different communities as they don’t want Kashmiri Pandits to return to the valley.
The Minister said there is a need to open more communication channels between the communities in Kashmir so that the new generation holds regular interactions to overcome the misconceptions and mistrust.
Abdul Haq said there is no alternative to dialogue as confrontation leads to nowhere. He said while the state government wants dialogue to bring peace in the valley, there is also need to increase communication channels between different communities within the state including Kashmiri Pandits and Muslims so that misconceptions are removed and trust and goodwill is restored among the communities.
The Minister also urged the media to play constructive role in bridging the gaps.
Abdul Haq said the migration from Kashmir was not the loss of Kashmir Pandits only but the Muslims suffered equally. He said the migration led to the loss of real composite culture in the Kashmir valley. He stressed on the members of the community to join hands to get their voice heard and be part of decision making process.
He said the Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti strongly wants to see Kashmiri Pandits back, as the valley is incomplete without them. He said the Chief Minister is keen to address all the issues of the migrant community and take necessary measure in this regard.
Legislators Abdul Majeed Padder and Yasir Reshi also spoke on the occasion.
Afzal left lucrative corporate job in the Silicon Valley to become a shepherd
Governor N.N.Vohra inaugurated Mr. Babar Afzal’s “Pashmina Art Exhibition” and released his book “6 TIMES THINNER”. This event was organized by the Jammu & Kashmir Academy of Art Culture and Languages (JKAACL) at the Abhinav Theatre, here today.
Appreciating the innovative idea of using pashmina fabric as a medium to paint, weave and embroider, the Governor complimented Mr. Afzal for his ingenuity in meaningfully and aesthetically highlighting the pashmina goat and its rare soft wool which is used for producing valuable shawls and garments, prized the world over. He lauded the artist’s efforts to highlight in an altogether unique manner, the centuries old tradition of pashmina craft, which is a hallmark of Jammu &Kashmir. He observed that the artist’s decision to become a Pashmina Goat Shepherd after leaving a lucrative corporate job in the Silicon Valley should serve as an inspiration to the youth of the State to come forward and make meaningful contribution to the growth and development of the areas to which they belong.
Governor observed that there is no dearth of talent among the youth of J&K and exhorted them to remain focused and work hard to achieve their aspirations.
Governor congratulated Mr. Afzal for writing a book to record his experiences of working as a Pashmina Goat Shepherd and gaining the traditional wisdom of goatmen for the preservation of the pashmina ecosystem in India. He wished him high success in all his future endeavours.
Mr. Muzaffar Hussain Baig, Member of Parliament, who was the special guest on the occasion, lauded the efforts and talent of Mr. Afzal in preservation of Pashmina goat and projection of pashmina art throughout the world.
Earlier, Mr. Afzal presented a brief account of his book. He elaborated the title of his book “6 TIMES THINNER” which indicates the thickness of the pashmina strand being 6 times thinner than the human hair and shared his experiences about working as a shepherd.
A very captivating instrumental musical performance was presented by the artists of Jammu & Kashmir Academy of Art Culture and Languages on the ocassion.
Dr. Aziz Hajini, Secretary JKAACL presented the Welcome Address and Dr. Arvinder Singh Aman, Additional Secretary, JKAACL gave away a formal Vote of Thanks.
Many dignitaries including civil servants, authors, writers, artists and students were among those present on the occasion.
CM condoles demise of Iqbal Khanday’s mother
Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti has condoled the demise of mother of former Chief Secretary, Muhammad Iqbal Khanday, who passed away at Jammu today.
In her condolence message, Mehbooba Mufti described the deceased as a pious and virtuous woman and prayed for her eternal solace.
The Chief Minister also conveyed her sympathies to Mr. Khanday and other members of the bereaved family.
Sikh deputation calls on Chief Minister
A deputation of members of Sikh community from different parts of Kashmir Valley called on the Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti in Srinagar today.
The deputation brought into the notice of the Chief Minister several day to day problems of the community and sought their resolution.
The Chief Minister told the deputation that the Government is already seized of their problems and assured them that the issues raised would be appropriately addressed.
SP operations house attacked by militants
As per reports , two militants came to the house of Mohd Ayub Mattoo, father of SP Opserations, Bandipora in the area of Khudwani ,Kulgam and ransacked the house.They also fired some rounds in air.
Weapon snatched from police recovered
Jammu Kashmir Police has recovered the weapon that was snatched from JKP Personnel Saturday late night. The weapon was recovered from Old Bridge, Jammu Tawi. weapon was hidden under the fourth pillar of the bridge. Police on a specific information reached the spot and recovered the weapon. The recovery was made on information provided by weapon snatcher Mohammed Amir who surrundered in front of police at Shopian yesterday evening..
Beauty of Jammu & Kashmir
