Govt decision on winter vacation draws flak

Srinagar, Tuesday, 23 November: The state government’s decision to keep schools open in winter has drawn flak from the student and teacher community here, who say the move in “unnecessary”.

The government has decided to reduce the period of winter vacation to compensate the loss of three months of education in view of the protests this summer here. State education minister, Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed said the high and higher secondary schools would remain open for one or two months during winter “to compensate the loss of education to students in the Kashmir Valley during the agitation."

However, students and teachers are unhappy over the decision. “The exams are over now. We have done well. There is no need to keep the schools open and deprive the students of winter vacations,” Tanveer Khan , a student of government school Natipora said.

Noted Academician Dr Abdul Gani Madhoosh, too believes that academically the results are not disappointing despite the educational losses suffered by the student community.

Madhosh, who is also chairman of the Dr A.G.M’S City School, says “the decision to keep schools open during winters is unnecessary”.

Even though the minister has claimed that proper heating arrangements would be made to save the students and children from the bitter winter chill, there are apprehensions.

“Our school doesn’t even have proper seating arrangements. We’re forced to sit on jute mats. When the government hasn’t bothered to fix windowpanes and other minor infrastructure all these years, talks of heating arrangements seem to be too much,” said a teacher at a government middle school in old city.

“80 percent of children in the Valley study in Government Schools which hardly have any basic infrastructure. The government should have considered this before taking the decision,” the teacher added.

Valley to get de-addiction centre at SMHS

Govt scraps similar plan for Psychiatric Diseases Hospital

Srinagar, October 18: The two-decade-old on-going turmoil in Kashmir has not only brought the economic sector to its knees but has also posed a serious threat to the present generation who has found it difficult to live in a conflict environment. The Valley has witnessed an epidemic in drug addiction, not only among the youth, but also school-going children and young girls, doctors say.

Currently, the Valley has only one de-addiction centre at the Police Control Room, Therefore, the government has decided to establish another de-addiction centre at Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital (SMHS).

“We used to have a single rehabilitation centre in the Valley and the whole Valley was dependent on it. Now, we have to open 32 de-addiction wards in SMHS Hospital,” said Psychiatric Diseases Hospital’s HOD Dr Mushtaq Margoob.

He added that within the next two months, we will open another rehabilitation centre at the SMHS Hospital.

Earlier this year, the government had sanctioned funds for a rehabilitation centre in at the Psychiatric Diseases Hospital in Rainawari. “There was a proposal given by State Government to establish rehabilitation centre in Rainawari but the environment for such patients should be different. They will get depressed in that environment,” said an official from SMHS.

He further added that was the reason the government decided to move that project to SMHS.

Released minor’s family vows to fight for justice
13-year-old still traumatised after 27 days in custody

Srinagar October 9: In a dimly-lit room at Malik Angan in Fateh Kadal, Faisal Nabi Bhatt (13), an eighth standard student from Tiny Tot Hindu School narrated the story of his 27 days in custody. Faisal alleged he was picked by the police in Fateh Kadal and then whisked away to the police station.

While talking to Kashmir Dispatch from his home, Faisal said, “On September 3, on Jumat ul vida (last Friday of holly month Ramadan), Geelani was delivering a speech at Pathar Masjid on the present turmoil in the Valley. Soon after the prayers, the devotes took to the street and peacefully marched to Zaina Kadal.”

Faisal recalled that Duty Officer Farooq Ahmad was also on the spot on duty. “While I was walking, Ahmad passed a comment and threatened me,” he alleged.

The next day, Faisal was on the way to his uncle’s home when the police and the CRPF apprehended him. “They hit me for 30 minutes until my ear start bleeding. Then the police took me to Zaina Kadal Police Station where I spent 12 days.”

During that period Faisal’s condition deteriorated and he was taken to Gousia Hospital for check-up, he said.

These days, Faisal peeps from his windows repeatedly as he suffers from psychological pressure from his 27 days in custody. “For two consecutive days, they kept me underground. My parents were not allowed to meet me on Eid Ul Fitr. The police used to tell me that my father doesn’t care for me. Upon release, I came to know that my father was not allowed to meet me in the police station.”


His father Ghulam Nabi Bhat narrated the story how the family has suffered from past two decades of turmoil. “My brother, Shakeel Ahmad Bhat has been imprisoned several times. The police have always torture us to shut our voices. They charged us with false allegations,” he alleged.

On September 6, the police sent a notice to Faisal’s school asking for his DOB certificate. The letter also mentioned that the minor had been booked under Sections 148, 149 and 336 of the RPC, his father said, displaying the document. But when Faisal was sent for remand to the Chief Judicial Magistrate a few more Sections were added besides the onesmentioned earlier, said his father. In court, Sections 152 and 427 of the RPC were also slapped on the boy, official documents revealed.

Faisal recalled how he was not allowed to answer nature’s call. “The police officers used to abuse me and kick me on my back. The CRPF used to come to police station and sling pebbles on me,” said Faisal.

The tortured has damaged the boy’s left eye and ear, “My exams are next week. I am not able to focus,” he added. Before the interrogation, Faisal used to study well but now he is not able to remember a single line.

His family said that he gets nightmares and he wakes up screaming, “Mai mat lai-yu (don’t beat me).”

“We will not bow if I would have to sell my home, I will fight for justice. I will soon file a case in High Court against those who have beaten my son,” Ghulam Nabi said.

Poet detained for writing pro-stone throwing song

Srinagar, October 4: Lateef Ahmad Dobi alias Lateef Jan (31), a resident of Dalgate, famous for his lyrical poems in the area, was detained by the police on Sunday after the lyrics of song said to be in favour of Kashmir’s stone throwers and the ongoing pro-freedom movement in the Valley, were "traced" to him.

Sources said the song was recovered from the mobile phones of a group of stone thrower who were arrested recently.

One of Jan's relative who wished to keep his name anonymous told Kashmir Dispatch that on Sunday Jan got a call from police station Rammunshi Bagh asking to report police station as soon as possible.

He further added that when Jan reached there he was “arrested.” That was not all. The police, the relative said, also detained Jan’s father who resides at Harwan .

SHO Rammunshi Bagh told Kashmir Dispatch that Jan had been detained for “investigation purposes.” “We have not filed any FIR against him so far,” he said.

SMHS patients suffer as govt forces impose curfew on chemists

SMHS patients suffer as govt forces impose curfew on chemists




Srinagar, October 2: Patients at Srinagar's SMHS hospital are suffering due to non-availability of medicines in view of the "forced" closure of chemist shops in the hospital vicinity.

The chemists told Kashmir Dispatch that the police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were not allowing them to open their shops on curfew days. They added that authorities have told them not to open on Sunday as well.

“Yesterday the police and the CRPF threatened to beat us if we did not close our shops,” said a chemist who, fearing reprisal, didn’t wish to be named.

Meanwhile, the attendants at the hospital are having a tough time. “There is only one shop inside the hospital where attendants have to wait for hours for their turn, and most of the medicines are not available. No other shops are open because of the curfew. We can’t even try other places due to the restrictions on movement?”

Meanwhile, sources revealed that despite intervention from the DC’s office, the police and the paramilitary refused to relent and allow the chemists to remain open.

Chief Medical Officer, Dr Altaf, however, feigned ignorance about the police and CRPF dictum to chemists while Public Relations Officer CRPF, Prabahkar Tripathy declined to comment saying, “I cannot give any official statement, as I am not on duty. My son is ill and I am at SKIMS.”

      Bagh-e-Mehtab residents allege police, CRPF harassment



 Srinagar October1: The police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) ruthlessly beat locals and ransacked people’s homes and destroyed property worth lakhs at Bagh-e-Mehtab, alleged residents of the locality.

"A month ago the railway track near Bagh-e-Mehtab was dislodged by protestors. Today at around noon, a small test engine came for monitoring purpose. When it reached near Bridge no 115, the group of youth hurled stones at it," said an eyewitness Mudasir Ahmad.

“In response to the actions of the youth, the police and the CRPF reached the spot and fired a volley of bullets to disperse the protest,” he added.

A local who wished to remain anonymous, lamented about how the troopers and the police targeted him. Pointing at visible bamboo stick marks on his back, he complained, “I went outside to buy curd for lunch, when I reached on the main road the CRPF personnel caught me and beat me ruthlessly.”

“We have a fast-food centre called Food café, the police and the CRPF destroyed the frame of his shop,” said a local, Omar Rafiq.

While talking to Kashmir Dispatch, CRPF’s PRO Prabhakar Tripathi said he was unable to comment on the

Ambulance drivers may go on strike .....

 

Ambulance drivers may go on strike .....

Srinagar, September 19: Ambulance drivers during the last three months have not only ferried patients but also hospital staff during curfew and strikes despite several instances of police and troopers attacking them. But this time around, with no let up in such incidents, the drivers have threatened to go on strike unless the 'violence perpetrated against them stops completely'.

"We have been subjected to constant harassment. Recently our 15 drivers were beaten by CRPF troopers leaving one critically injured. Four ambulances were seized (by the forces) at Narbal and it was only after divisional commissioner’s intervention that we managed to release them,” Ali Mohammad Dar, President of H.D.F (Hospital Development Fund) drivers association told Kashmir Dispatch.

Mohammad Yosuf, an ambulance driver of sub district hospital Chadoora, narrates how he was brutally beaten up by the government forces on September 16.

"I was on my way to pick up hospital staff from Nowgam to sub district hospital Chadoora. However, when I reached Nowgam bypass CRPF troopers stopped me and beat me up ruthlessly even after I showed them my identity card," he says.

Similarly forces at Pulwama allegedly beat up another ambulance driver Mohammad Shafi of Pahagam, Pulwama.

Under such circumstances, the drivers say, it’s difficult for them to continue with their work. “We request director Health Dr Amin Wani to to look into the matter and take quick action for our security else we have no option but to go on a strike,"

In response to these incidents doctors believe it was time for government to step in. “If this will continue the drivers of our department will go for strike. It is high time for authorities to pay attention to such incidents," said orthodontist Gowhar Yakoub of JVC.

While talking to Kashmir Dispatch, Prabakar Tripathi PRO CRPF said, "It is a false allegation on us. I have so far not received any complaint like it, but in case if there are more than 6 passengers in the ambulance than we check their identities and than we let them go

Drabu distorted J&K Bank figures: M Y Khan

Alleges credit portfolio on March 2005 was roughly Rs 5,000 crore and not Rs 1,200 crore

Srinagar, September 4: Ex-chairman and chief executive of the Jammu and Kashmir Bank M Y Khan, at a press conference in Srinagar Saturday, alleged that Dr Haseeb Drabu, who resigned recently as chairman and chief executive of the institution, has not only “hurt” his sentiments, but has also ‘distorted’ presentation of facts and figures while narrating the success story of the bank.

Khan said that Drabu’s claim that the bank, in the last five years, had raised its credit portfolio in the state from Rs 1,200 crore in 2005 to Rs 12,000 crore in 2010 was untrue. “This is a total lie as the credit portfolio as on March 2005 was roughly Rs 5,000 crore and not Rs 1,200 crore. It may also be mentioned here that during his tenure the overdraft to the government has witnessed almost a 100 per cent increase, which is reflected in the credit off take during his time,” said Khan.



Khan explained that subsequent to the financial year 2003-04, in which the bank posted a net profit of Rs 406 crore, whole banking industry witnessed tremors of inflation and hardening of interest rates which besides impacting the yields also depreciated the investment portfolio of all banks. The banks all over the country witnessed a tremendous fall in their profits, and J&K Bank could not remain insulated to these adversaries.



Khan elaborated that despite all the adversities in the financial markets, he could have easily booked a net profit of Rs 350 crore for the said financial year (2004-05). “But I didn’t. I did a provisioning of Rs 250 crore in order to insulate the securities portfolio from future market risk and to reduce the duration of its investment portfolio.”



"So, in simpler terms, I sacrificed my performance for the safety of the bank and the successor," said Khan.



Khan said, “When I took over the reigns of the bank, the net profit was just Rs 18 crore and it zoomed to Rs 406 crore in 2003-04. This means it increased 23 times. As far profitability in 2004-05 is concerned, I have already explained it to you earlier. Similarly, the business turnover increased from Rs 4,200 crore to Rs 37,000 crore during my tenure. The credit portfolio witnessed an increase from Rs 1,364 crore to Rs 11,500 crore and deposits in the bank increased from Rs 2,895 crore to Rs 21,644 crore.”



About the performance of the bank’s share at the stock exchange, Khan said, “You will be surprised that the share price of the bank went up 10 times during my tenure. In 1999, the share of the bank was listed and against Rs 38 (Rs 10 face value and Rs 28 premium), reached Rs 356 per share, at the stock exchange in 2005. This means an increase by almost nine times of its original value.”



Juxtaposing the stark contrast between Drabu’s performance and his, Khan said, “During my successor’s period (2005 – 2010) the share price of the bank witnessed 1.25 times increase only which is well below the average performance of the bank shares during this period which increased by three to four times.”



Commenting on the appointment of the new director, Khan said, “I understand that government has decided to appoint Mushtaq Ahmad who was Executive Director and Director on Board of the J&K Bank at the time of his retirement in 2008. I think it is a good step. Mushtaq has worked with me and he has proved himself as an outstanding officer. I am sure he will use his experience and take the bank to new heights.”

        Despite accessible , books fail to find place among youngsters

Despite being easily accessible both in market as well as on internet, books have failed to hold the interest of youngsters who mostly prefer to remain hooked television or any other social network like facebook or twiter etc. as per records nearly 15 percent  of sales of book’s decline every year in the valley.

Unlike the western society where books are considered as the main source of information and knowledge, the youngsters in our society are losing their reading habit by every passing day. the expert cite the advent of a new technology main reason behind it. “it is the craze of  youngsters for the cricket, television, chatting , mobile games that youngsters are unable to develop their reading habits. They get expose to these technologies in early age of their lives influencing their minds deeply “  said  Feroz  Ahmad , A Sociologist.

  Vex by the lessen interest in reading among youngsters , from the very beginning the government  has open libraries at several places which remain flooded with all types of books every time but this move does not bring much change. “Books are available to us in a good quantity but readership here is very less. There is an immediate need to generate interest among the youngsters by telling them the advantages of reading so that readership may increase in future” said  a Librarian ,Tariq Bhat.

Some believe that it depends largely on parents to inaccurate among children the sense of reading. “I think It depend more on the atmosphere at their homes.  children usually trend to follow their parents. If parents have a habit of reading news paper, magazines, books than children get to read on their own” Abdul Aziz , 70, a retire police officer said.

He added, reading is really essential for a personal development as well as for the socio-economic development of state. We need to take step to develop the reading habits among the children so as they may prove better citizens. 

Experts too predict that children need to develop this habit gradually.  “Teenagers and children are not patient readers they find it really difficult to adjust themselves to books in their early age. They need to develop it gradually by sticking to news papers initially and later turn to comic stories and then to the short stories in a different phases” said Basher Ahmad, an Academician 

            FILM REVIEW OF PATSHALA

Talking about the Director Milind Ukey who gave us the very lovable animated film ‘Hanuman’ has this time come up with a good topical subject but falters in the script written by producer Ahmed Khan himself. Here the director puts a whole lot of things in one bag without doing any justice to even single. In the film we have - children, Teenage romance, crush on teacher, rising of school fee structure, professionalism, commercialization, talent hunts, reality TV shows. Also the film has a bunch of child actors– the Fanaa Boy, the Cheeni Kum girl, the Balika Vadhu girl, who don’t have proper roles.

Now talking about the lead actor Shahid Kapoor–– after giving big hits like Jab We Met, Vivah, Kaminey the actor is giving duds like Dil Bole Hadippa, Chance Pe Dancee and an equally bad follow up with ‘Paatshaala’.

While the film signifies the problems perfectly, a proper solution is not offered in the end. Also what happens to the school finally is also not made clear.

The storytelling is suffused with sensitive pockets. To cite some examples- in one sequence the veteran sports teacher (played by Sushant Singh) gets together student to climb on one another to make a human pyramid for the sake of media coverage. The callousness of the freelance journalist as he talks into the cellphone while the students sweat it out in the sun, smothers your cynicism about such manipulative drama in the narrative.

In another scene, a little boy is made to stand in the sun for not paying the school fees. And then that decisive moment where a crass ad-maker reduces another little kid to tears, just chokes you.

The music reality show agent, who auditions the school kids as though they are fish to be fried straight from the market, is almost caricatural in the his grotesque commercialism.

The overview of the educational system in ‘Paatshaala’ is macro-cosmic in its own right. In an attempt to showcase how education goes for a toss in private schools as the management aims to earn the extra buck the makers also don’t lose out a chance to make a satire out of the media, shifting focus from his original aim.

Bad dialogues are made only worse by loud acting by most of the cast. Certain emotional scenes leave you either bored or end up making you laugh.

Hanief Shaikh's music also is not much promising. While Basha Lals cinematography is free of poetic flourishes, the ‘Ae khuda’ track just sweeps you off your feet. This is the only number which can is mesmerizing although the song should have been gifted with Aatif Aslam’s beautiful voice.

At the end I want to say that there’s no flow in the script and no sense to the whole hullabaloo on screen.