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2 militants, soldier killed in North Kashmir: Army‘Infiltration bids in Tangdhar, Keran foiled’

ABID BASHIR

Srinagar, Aug 9: Two militants and a soldier were killed in gunfights in Keran and Tang-dhar sectors as militants made fresh infiltration bids in these north Kashmir areas, the Army said Sunday. At both places, an Army official said, the encoun-ters haven’t been called off yet.

“We have recovered bodies of two militants killed in Keran sector,” said Army’s Srinagar-based spokesman, Lt Colonel N N Joshi.

He said in Tangdhar sector, a “major infiltration bid” was foiled by Army in which one soldier sustained bullet inju-ries and later succumbed.

In a first, Govt to ‘verify’ degrees of ReTs in 7 daysSays will go ahead with screening test of teachers with ‘suspicious testimonials’

JK to convert heritage properties into remunerative assets: CM

GK NEWS NETWORK

Srinagar, Aug 9: Chief Minis-ter Mufti Muhammad Sayeed Sunday ordered constitution of a high-level committee in Tourism & Culture depart-ments to convert state’s built-in heritage into remunerative and productive assets.

The panel, the Chief Min-ister said, will hold series of consultations with the Rajas-than-based Indian Heritage Hotels Association (IHHA) on the issue. Speaking at a lun-cheon meeting with IHHA rep-resentatives here, Mufti said J&K is the only state which was a premier tourist desti-nation even before 1947. “Our state is a goldmine of heritage

GK NEWS NETWORK

Srinagar, Aug 9: J&K’s Education Department Sunday ordered verifica-tion of degrees possessed by Rehbar-e-Taleem teach-ers within seven days while asserting that it would go ahead with the screening test for them as per the High Court directions.

Amid massive controver-sy over the issue, the Edu-cation Department authori-ties said in compliance to

the directions of the High Court, the degrees of ReTs/RReTs obtained through study centres and distance mode from shady institu-tions would be scrutinized and accordingly the screen-ing test of those ReTs and RReTs would be conducted who are in possession of suspicious testimonials.

As per the order No: 396-Edu of 2015, issued by the Commissioner Secretary School Education Depart-ment, the respective Chief

Education Officers of all the districts have been des-ignated as Nodal Officers for verification of the cer-tificates of ReTs/RReTs obtained through study centres or distance mode. “The whole exercise of veri-fication of such certificates shall be completed within 7 days,” the order said, adding, “Director School Education Kashmir and Jammu will personally monitor the veri-fication progress.”

The Department said

that the High Court, in its order dated: 14 May 2015, while adjudicating on SWP No: 346/2014 titled Faisal Ahmad Khan v/s State and Others has observed: “This writ petition throws up most startling and classical example of sale and pur-chase of academic degrees, for which many tuck shops were operating in the State. These tuck shops who have issued the degrees, would be responsible for relegat-ing the student community

into the dark cave of Plato. The authorities, responsible to ensure that the stream of academics and education is not polluted in the State of J&K, however, in view of the facts, which have surfaced in this case, have acted as soulless bodies with ray-less eyes, as they have criminally condoned and overlooked the Himalayan blunders com-mitted in procuring the aca-demic degrees.”

Pertinently, an official

Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference row

India says Pakistan ‘broke protocol’ on Kashmir speaker

PDP miffed, says Pak approach ‘unfortunate, unacceptable’

Kashmir is a disputed territory and Pakistan does not recognise

its assembly. We will never invite the speaker of Jammu and Kashmir

Assembly. Pakistan's principled position on Jammu and Kashmir will be compromised if the speaker of Jammu and Kashmir is invited to the conference.

Islamabad, Aug 9: Pak-istan broke protocol by not inviting the speak-er of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly for a Commonwealth meet-ing here, India's envoy here T.C.A. Raghavan has said.

The Dawn newspa-per on Sunday quoted Raghavan as saying at a book release func-tion here on Saturday night that Pakistan had invited delegations from Jammu and Kashmir in

HAROON MIRANI

Srinagar, Aug 9: Calling state assembly as “the only elected body in the state”, the Peoples Democratic Party Sunday termed the Pakistan’s decision to not invite the J&K Assembly Speaker for the upcoming Commonwealth Parliamen-tary Conference in Islam-

abad as “unacceptable.”Education Minister

Naeem Akhter said the party doesn’t agree with the stand taken by Paki-stan. “We are the only elected representatives of the people and it is our right to participate in such conferences,” said Akhter. “Pakistan’s decision is an

WHAT PAKISTAN SAID

To arrest further deterioration in the education system, J&K is directed to constitute a committee to look into the hazards which

such type of (fake) degrees must have caused to the society. The Committee shall be responsible to find out all such degrees/

certificates issued in favour of such candidates, who stand selected as ReT/teachers and ask this class of teachers to sit in a screening test to ascertain as to whether they are in a position to teach students. All such ReT/teachers, who fail in such screening test, their certificates would require to be seized, of course, after

affording opportunity of hearing to them.

This writ petition throws up most startling and classical example of sale and purchase of academic degrees, for which many tuck shops were operating in the State. These tuck shops who have issued the degrees, would be responsible for relegating the student community into the dark cave of Plato. The authorities, responsible to ensure that the stream of academics and education is not polluted in the State of J&K, however, in view of the facts, which have surfaced in this case, have acted as soulless bodies with ray-less eyes, as they have criminally condoned and overlooked the Himalayan blunders committed in procuring the academic degrees.

WHAT THE COURT

SAID

200 development projects in JK await Forest department clearance

UMER MAQBOOL

Srinagar, Aug 9: More than 200 proposed developmental works in Jammu and Kash-mir, mostly road projects, are awaiting clearance by the Forest department, an offi-cial document has revealed.

The document accessed by Greater Kashmir reveals that 215 projects to be taken up by the Roads & Buildings department, Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana’s imple-

menting agency and Irri-gation and Flood Control Department are awaiting the necessary forest clearance or have got stuck up due to allied issues.

In a communiqué, Nodal Officer for Forest Conserva-tion Act in the office of Prin-cipal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) has commu-nicated to the higher-ups the status of 215 pending cases of forest clearances.

Of these, 120 cases were

submitted by R&B depart-ment for diversion of forest land, 68 by PMGSY and 27 by the I&FC department.

The Forest department has pointed that 98 cases were pending due non-sub-mission of documents/infor-mation or “non-response” of the user agencies.

It has stated that 59 forest clearance cases were under process whereas 12 were approved by the Forest Advi-sory Committee (FAC) but

their payment is pending.According to the letter, 14

cases were either deferred or rejected by the FAC and 16 were pending due to previ-ous liabilities, wildlife clear-ances and other issues.

It has also revealed that in 16 cases where the depart-ments had sought clearance from the department, no for-estland is involved.

Under the JK Forest (Con-servation) Act, 1997, an advi-sory committee is constitut-

ed to take a call on diversion of forestland for the public utilities.

At present, the Forest Advisory Committee is headed by Chief Secretary and comprises of top bureau-crats and officials of the Forest department.

Recently, a panel of Leg-islative Assembly headed by MLA Khansahab Hakim Muhammad Yasin came down heavily on the govern-

See 2 militants...on Pg-10

See JK to convert...on Pg-10 See 200 development...on Pg-10 See PDP miffed...on Pg-10

See India says...on Pg-10

See In a first...on Pg-10

MONDAY, August 10, 2015 24, Shawwal, 1436 AH 28th Year of publication

Published from Srinagar | Jammu Regd. No. JK NP-6/SKGPO-2012-2014 Vol: 28 No. 220 Pages: 16 Rs. 5.00

CMYK