Srinagar Diary

Safina Baig is PDP women’s wing president
The Peoples’ Democratic Party has appointed Safina Baig as president of its women’s wing. Safina is the wife of senior PDP leader and Baramulla MP Muzaffar Hussain Baig. Muzaffar, a founding member of the PDP, was not in the good books of PDP president and Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti. Sources said Safina’s appointment is being seen as an attempt by the ruling party to reach out to the disgruntled MP for taking more interest in the party affairs in the state, especially in the KashmirValley where every civilian killing will affect the PDP vote bank. The PDP’s stronghold is south Kashmir where it won most of its 28 seats from the region comprising four districts. 

Capital shifting to Srinagar
As part of the biannual Darbar Move, the seat of governance - Secretariat and other offices - will function from Srinagar for six months. The government offices in Jammu will close on April 27 and re-open in Srinagar on May 7. During the winter, the seat of power shifts to Jammu. There were calls in the past to end this practice as a huge amount of money is spent in shifting the official machinery. However, the politicians have failed to reach consensus on a single capital. Roads and pavements are being cleaned and painted to give a “feel good” factor to ministers, officials who will arrive in Srinagar. The government will provide J15,000 as travelling allowance to government employees.

Dumping construction material on roads banned
The Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) has banned dumping of construction material on roads. An SMC official said house owners and commercial establishments, who keep debris and structural material on roads, lanes and parks, would be fined for disrupting pedestrian and traffic movement. There have been complaints that construction waste was being dumped on roads. The SMC official said defaulters were given five days to clear the roads. If the violations continued, the defaulters would be fined under the Solid Waste Management Rules.

Gang of ATM thieves busted
Police busted a gang of thieves involved in stealing money from ATMs in Srinagar. These four gang members were traced during the probe into the theft of cash from a SBI ATM at Gole market. Cash worth J23.34 lakh was stolen from the ATM. The four thieves admitted their crime. On their disclosure, two vehicles used by the accused were also seized. The gang, according to the police, has been orchestrating organized crime of ATM looting in many parts of Kashmir, including Srinagar. Their involvement in similar thefts in other parts of the Kashmir Valley is being investigated. Further arrests are expected.