May 2023

Srinagar, May 22 : While taking action against the teachers for their poor performance in class 8, Directorate of School Education Kashmir has directed these teachers to pay 15 days salary from May month as fine and ordered for work withholding of one future increment for 12 months.

As per the order, issued by Director School Education Kashmir, action has been taken against four teachers posted in a clubbed school in Larnoo area Anantnag where most of the students failed to cross 8th class examination.

“Whereas, Joint Director (South), School Education, Kashmir has reported regarding poor performance of the teachers working under ZEO Vailoo. and upon perusal of the letter it got revealed that the below mentioned officials currently working in a clubbed school have poorly performed in a manner that is unbecoming of a govt. servant in terms of J&K Government Employee (Conduct) Rules, 1971,” reads the order issued by Director School Education Kashmir, a copy of which is with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO).

The order reads: “Whereas, the poor performance of the teachers has been viewed seriously by the Department. As such, in terms of J&K Civil Services (Classification, Control & Appeal) Rules, 1956, it is hereby Ordered to impose following punishment on the ibid employees that fine of 15 days’ pay to be recovered from the salary of May 2023.”

The order further said: “Withholding of one future increment for a year and the same may be released without Arrears only after assessing the performance of the officials. Furthermore, a surety bond will be obtained from the officials that such negligence shall not get repeated in future and necessary entry regarding the punishment shall be recorded in the service books of the officials.”

Notably, on 25 April KNO had carried a story that a single student out of 25 students of Govt Middle School Khokarpora Adhal Vailoo in Kokernag had passed the 8th class examination.

The poor performance of the school had evoked strong resentment from the people following which officials had assured of action against the teachers posted there—(KNO)

Baramulla: Aarifeen School of Excellence celebrated Mother’s Day in a unique way by organizing a special event for the mothers of their young learners.

The event, held at a nearby eco park, brought mothers and children together for a day of outdoor activities and bonding.

This first-of-its-kind event was designed to celebrate the love and bond between mothers and their children, and to provide an opportunity for them to spend quality time together.

Mothers and their children boarded school buses from their designated stops and traveled together to the park. Upon arrival, they were greeted by educators who had planned several fun activities for them to enjoy together.

Despite some light showers, the group had a great time participating in games, making fruit chats, lemonade, lassi, and sandwiches, and spending quality time together.

The event was a huge success, with mothers expressing gratitude to the school staff for organizing such a thoughtful and fun-filled day.

The school principal, Ms. Asma Sadiq, was pleased with the turnout and said, “We wanted to do something special for the mothers in our community and show our appreciation for all that they do. It was heartwarming to see the joy on their faces as they spent time with their children and made new memories.”

The event was part of a larger effort by Aarifeen School of Excellence to engage parents in their children’s education and build a stronger sense of community within the school.

It was also an opportunity to showcase the importance of spending quality time with loved ones, especially during challenging times.

Aarifeen School of Excellence Baramulla is committed to providing quality education and fostering a strong sense of community among students, parents, and staff.

The school prides itself on its innovative approach to teaching and its commitment to creating a positive and nurturing learning environment for all students.

Qazigund, May 08 : The Northern Railways is likely to expand the existing 135 kilometre long Banihal-Baramulla railway track in Jammu and Kashmir into a double track. For this, tenders for carrying out a survey have been allocated by the Central government.

Talking to news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Chief Area Manager (CAM) Kashmir Railways, Saqib Yousuf said the Ministry of Railways has invited tenders to start Final Location Survey (FLS) for double lanning of Baramulla-Qazigund section.

“Tenders have been issued for the engineering survey of the Railway line/roadway using modern survey techniques such as Aerial Survey (Aerial Photogrammetric survey or Aerial LiDAR) and DGPS (Differential Global Positioning System)”, he said. There is a single-track line from Baramulla to Qazigund and the project, if approved will double the capacity of the Railways.

CAM said that after the proposed survey, the capacity of the trains and the number of the trains will increase tremendously. “The capacity of the trains will be doubled,” he said. He said the work is expected to start soon.

Asked if fresh land was being allocated for the project, Saqib said, only after the survey gets completed, it is the Railways that will determine whether additional land is required for the project—(KNO)

Amidst strict precautions, the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) 2023 was successfully conducted in Baramulla district on May 7, 2023.

According to official figures, 2569 out of 2617 registered students appeared for the exam in the district.

The NEET was held in three centers – SRM Welkin, Sanctorum Institute of Education, and DPS Baramulla.

Shakir Ashraf, the Director of Sanctorum Institute, Sopore, who acted as City Coordinator Baramulla, expressed his gratitude towards the District Administration and District Police Baramulla and Sopore for their support and coordination during the examination.

He said that the District Police Sopore and CRPF 177 BN Sopore played an instrumental role in helping all three centers conduct the examination seamlessly.

“Thanks to their efforts, there were no traffic jams or law and order incidents during the exam,” he added

All the centers submitted the scripts on time, and regular power supply was ensured by the District Administration.

The NEET 2023 is being conducted under the supervision and guidelines of the National Testing Agency (NTA).

Shakir said that the successful conduct of the exam in Baramulla district is a significant milestone, considering the challenges posed by the pandemic.

The students who appeared for the exam expressed their satisfaction with the arrangements made by the authorities. The results of the NEET 2023 will be announced in due course.

Srinagar, May 06 : Jammu and Kashmir government’s tourism department Saturday said that they have selected 300 destinations for promoting film tourism in the UT this year while G-20 will be the major international event and the great opportunity for J&K.

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the inauguration of the first show of the newly released movie—‘Welcome To Kashmir’, directed by Tariq Bhat, at Inox cinema Srinagar, Commissioner Secretary Tourism, Syed Abid Rasheed said that last year 200 plus movies were shot in J&K. “This year our focus is to promote film tourism and for that, we have kept 300 destinations on the table of film producers and directors to choose any place for shooting,” he said as per news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO).

He said this year, film tourism will be promoted in a major way so that many untouched destinations are explored. “There are many destinations much better than European destinations in the UT,” said Rasheed. “Recently, a big film production house shot a movie in Kashmir.”

To a query about the G-20 event, the Commissioner Secretary Tourism said that the third working group meeting of the G-20 tourism group will be hosted by J&K which is a “major international event.” “This is a great opportunity for J&K to showcase its beauty. Through the summit, we will be able to promote film tourism in J&K,” he said—(KNO)

Srinagar, May 06 : Compared to previous year—2022, Jammu and Kashmir has received more rains in the first four months, however, the data reveals that the Union Territory has recorded a deficient rainfall of 23 percent from January 2023-April 2023.

Data shared by an Independent Weather Forecaster, Faizan Arif Keng to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) reveal that in the first four months last year, J&K had recorded a deficient rainfall of 40% as against the normal rainfall of 476.5 mm, the Union Territory had received a rainfall of only 285.8 mm.

However, the J&K for the same period this year has recorded only 23% deficient rainfall as against the normal rainfall of 478 mm, the UT has received 368.2mm rainfall since January 2023-April 2023.

According to the data, January 2023 has received the highest rainfall comparatively to the next three months of the year as the month has recorded 42% excess rainfall while February and March have recorded a deficient rainfall of 69% and 48% deficient rainfall respectively. The data further shows that April 2023 recorded excess rainfall of 14%.

In January 2022, J&K has recorded a rainfall of 168.7 mm against the normal precipitation of 93.1 mm while in February and March, J&K has recorded a rainfall of 77.2 mm & 18.3 mm respectively. The Union Territory in the month of April has recorded a rainfall of 21.6 mm.

In comparison, J&K in the month of January 2023, has recorded a rainfall of 135.1 mm against the normal precipitation of 95.1 mm while in February and March, J&K has recorded a rainfall of 40.7 mm & 78.9 mm respectively. The Union Territory in the month of April has recorded a rainfall of 113.5 mm.

Moreover, as per the seasonal data prepared by Meteorological department (MeT) here, J&K has received deficient rainfall since March 01, 2023-May 03, 2023 while Kishtwar, Kathua and Shopian districts hav recorded highest deficient rainfall of 57%, 45% and 38% respectively.

Meanwhile, the erratic weather conditions prevailed across J&K for the last few months while the weatherman here has predicted more rains till May 08, 2023.

As the rains lash plains across J&K, a few places including Sonamarg received fresh snowfall today, bringing down the temperature in the Union Territory.

Report reaching KNO said that the intermittent rainfall lashed several areas including the plains since this morning.

Director MeT, Sonum Lotus told KNO that there is a possibility of rains/thunderstorms at many places of J&K while hailstorm and gusty wind is also expected at scattered places during the next two days.

He further said that the weather would remain mainly dry from May 09-May 12, 2023.

Advising farmers to postpone spraying of orchards and harvesting of crops till May 08, Director MeT further appealed to tourists to keep warm & eatables ready as the weather would be colder till May 08.

The Director also stated that the rain may cause temporary disruption of surface transportation on National Highways Jammu-Srinagar, Zojilla etc and advised people to check road status before embarking on journey—(KNO)

Srinagar, May 06 : Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday arrived in Jammu and is scheduled to visit Rajouri where 5 army personnel were killed in a blast during an encounter in Kandi forest area of the district yesterday.

An official told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that Rajnath Singh landed in Jammu today where he was received by Army Chief Manoj Pande and Lt Governor Manoj Sinha

He said that Singh will head towards Rajouri to take a security assessment amid the ongoing anti-militancy operation in the area.

5 army soldiers were killed and an officer was injured after militants triggered a blast during an encounter in Kandi forest area on Friday.

Earlier, today army said that a militant has been killed while another one is likely injured as the operation resumed in Kandi forest area—(KNO)

Jammu, May 06 : One militant killed and another was likely injured in an ongoing gunbattle in the woods of Rajouri, where five men of elite Special Forces of Army were killed on Friday.

Defence spokesman Lt. Colonel Devender Anand said that one militant was killed while another was likely wounded in the gunfight.

“In the ongoing joint operation in Kandi Forest, Rajouri sector by Indian Army in coordination with JKP & CRPF, at approx 0700 hours the cordon while closing in spotted and pinned down the terrorists. In the ensuing gunbattle one terrorist has been neutralised and one terrorist is likely to be injured,” he said, as per news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO)

He further added that so far huge recoveries have been made in the operation.

The recoveries include one AK56, four magazines of AK, 56 rounds of AK, 1 x 9mm pistol with mag, three grenades & one ammunition pouch.

“Identity of the neutralised terrorist is being ascertained,” he said.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh along with Army Chief General Manoj Pandey will visit Rajouri today to assess the ground situation where troops have launched a massive operation after killing 10 army personnel in the past two weeks.

Officials said that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh along with Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande is likely to chair a high-level security meeting in Jammu before flying back to Dellhi.

Meanwhile, Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi reached Rajouri early morning to review the ongoing operation.

“Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi Army Commander Northern Command at Ground Zero, reviewing the operational situation on the ongoing operations at Kandi Rajouri where contact was re-established with militants. He was briefed on all aspects of the operations by ground commanders,” Northern Command shared a tweet—(KNO)

Ganderbal May 05 : The lack of toilet facilities is causing inconvenience to visitors at the famous tourist place Manasbal in this central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district.

Several visitors told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that they faced inconvenience due to the lack of washroom(s) at the tourist spot.

Safiya, a visitor, said the unavailability of a washroom “at this famous park is a matter of serious concern”.

“The picnic season has started and the park would witness an increase in the number of tourists, but the unavailability of at least a single washroom would create inconvenience for the visitors,” she said.

Scores of school children who had come for a picnic expressed concern over the lack of toilet facility at the park. “It is a very sad situation here. There are no toilet facilities. It becomes very inconvenient, especially for women folk,” said a girl student.

A teacher of the school said it is unfortunate that Manasbal being a popular tourist destination lacks such a basic facility as a public toilet. “This not only causes inconvenience to visitors but also creates a poor image of the tourist spot. The authorities must immediately address the issue and ensure that visitors have a comfortable and hassle-free experience at the park,” he said.

CEO Wullar-Manasbal Development Authority Ghulam Mohammad Bhat told KNO that toilets are available but are located at a considerable distance from the lake site.

“The floriculture department has installed additional toilets in close proximity to the lake, and we will request them to make those accessible for visitors,” Bhat said, adding, “We also plan to construct more toilet facilities in the future.”—(KNO)

Waris Fayaz

Baramulla, May 05 (KNO): Despite freaky weather conditions in Kashmir, north Kashmir’s Baramulla district is gripped with pollen allergies which is now turning into a perennial health hazard with people alleging that they are falling prey to allergies due to government apathy to cut down the Russian female Russian poplars.

Though pollen allergies in the spring are common, but the roads, streets and corners across north Kashmir particularly Baramulla and Sopore – where thousands of poplars line up is giving a tough time to people.

Talking to news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), a group of students from GDC Boys Baramulla said that the government’s inaction over cutting down the trees is taking a heavy toll as they are not able to attend their classes due to pollen that leads to various forms of allergies.

“The government needs to take more steps as we face such kinds of issues every year. It becomes quite irritating,” the students said. Similarly, local traders have been complaining about the same, stating that they face great inconvenience as pollen-induced allergies are hitting their market as fewer people turn up while the majority prefers to sit in their homes.

They said that every year administration claims of cutting down the Rusian female poplars, the main source of producing pollen, but nothing is witnessed on ground. “It’s high time to act on it as people including school/college going students, elderly persons are becoming soft targets of allergies,” they said.

Speaking to KNO, Dr. Javaid Bhat, a Kashmir-based physician posted in Sopore hospital said, that the person affected with the pollen-induced allergy needs proper medical advice especially for those who are battling Asthama else it could exacerbate, which may have serious consequences.

“The common symptoms of pollen-induced allergy include nasal irritation, running nose and watery eyes coupled with redness and skin rashes. These symptoms may further exacerbate in patients having Asthma – in which a person’s airways become inflamed, narrow and swell and produce extra mucus, which makes it difficult to breathe,” he said. “The patients suffering from allergies are advised to take precautionary measures like wearing masks, medicines include anti-allergic tablets and in case the infection is high then antibiotic is prescribed.”

Meanwhile, deputy commissioner Baramulla, Dr Syed Sehrish while speaking to media over the issue said that every year they are taking measures and old/toxic trees are being axed. She assured that people will not face pollen issues along Srinagar-Baramulla national highway, as they have taken up the process of cutting down the trees in a phased manner.

About army cantonment areas, the DC said that the government has a role to play over state land rather than private. In terms of privacy, people better can play a great role themselves, she said.

Pertinently, in 2015, High Court passed directions banning plantation and trade of pollen producing poplar trees particularly Russian poplar trees across Kashmir. However, the government has miserably failed in stopping the perennial health hazard by cutting down the said trees—(KNO)