SRINAGAR : Over 4021 kanals of State/kahcharie land was retrieved in Kupwara district during the present drive initiated against the land encroachers by the government.
On the directions of Deputy Commissioner Kupwara, Dr.Doifode Sagar Dattatray, a major anti encroachment drive was held across Kupwara district from 11th of this month till date. The teams of Revenue Department headed by concerned Tehsildars conducted operation on state/ kahcharie land which was illegally occupied by encroachers in different parts/ tehsils of the district.
Accordingly, over 4021 kanals of kahcharai/ state land have been retrieved from the encroachers in all Tehsils of the District during the present drive, till date.
As per the reports of Tehsildar Drugmulla, 301 kanals of kahcharai land have been retrieved in Drugmulla tehsil of Kupwara district which include 276 kanals single patch of land and 25 kanals which was used as commercial purposes.
Likewise, as per Tehsildar Kupwara, 280 kanals of land have been retrieved during the drive till date in Kupwara tehsil which include 205 kanal kahcharai Land and 75 kanal state land.
In Keran tehsil, 712 kanals of land have been retrieved as per Tehsildar Keran, which include 617 kanals of state land and 95 kanals of kahcharie land.
In Vilgam tehsil of Kupwara district, 1863 kanals including 758 state land and 1105 kanals kahcharari land have been retrieved till date, as reported by Tehsildar Vilgam.
Likewise, in Kralpora Tehsil, as per concerned Tehsildar 247 kanals of land have been retrieved in the tehsil which include 142 kanals state land and 105 kanals Kacharie land.
In Sogam and Lalpora tehsils, as reported by respective Tehsildars, 114 kanal and 14 marlas retrieved from Dardpora Lolab, 20 kanals from Chandigam and 20 kanals from Sogam tehsil.
Similarly, 70 kanals of kahcharari/ state land have been retrieved from Trehgam tehsil, 50 kanals in Karnah Tehsil, 46 kanal 15 marlas in Handwara tehsil, 26 kanal 5 marlas in Zachaldara tehsil, 5 kanals in Taratpora tehsil , 80 kanals in Langate, 70 kanals in Qalamabad tehsil and 116 kanals in Qaziabad-kralgund tehsil during the ongoing drive against land encroachers.
While talking about the anti-encroachment drive, the Deputy Commissioner Kupwara said that anti-encroachment drives will continue in all the parts of the district to retrieve the entire State and Kahcharai land encroached by the land grabbers. He sought cooperation of the general public in its action against encroachments and also warned of action under CrPC in matters of encroachment on state/kahcharie lands.
The District Administration has given strict directions to the Tehsildars and enforcement teams to speed up the drive against the land encroachments in their respective jurisdictions with added zeal and dedication so that all State/Kahcharai land is retrieved in the district, which can be subsequently used for public purpose.
SRINAGAR: Weatherman on Sunday forecast snow and rain in Jammu and Kashmir during three days even as mercury increased at most places barring Pahalgam.
Quoting a meteorological department official news agency GNS reported that while light to moderate snow and rain was expected during next 24 hours, moderate snow (rain in Jammu) and moderate to heavy snow over middle and higher reaches(60% chance) was expected in J&K from January 24-25.
On January 26, he said, light rain in Jammu region and light snow in Kashmir (60% chance) was expected.
“Overall, weather is very likely to remain erratic with cloudy, intermittent rain and snow till January 29 in whole J&K,” he added.
He said that parts of the Valley also received snowfall in last 24 hours till 0830 hours with Srinagar receiving 0.6mm (rain), Qazigund 5cm, Pahalgam 7.3cm, Kokernag 1.5cm and Gulmarg 4.0cm.
He said Srinagar received 0.6mm of rain, Batote 3.0mm, and Bhaderwah 2.6mm of rainfall during the time.
Regarding temperature, he said, Srinagar recorded a low of 1.0°C against last night’s 0.2°C. Today’s minimum temperature, he said, was 3.3°C above normal for the summer capital, he said.
Qazigund, he said, recorded a low of 0.2°C against minus 0.4°C on the previous night and it was 4.1°C above normal for the gateway town of Kashmir.
Pahalgam, he said, recorded a low of minus 6.3°C against minus 0.4°C on the previous night and it was 4.1°C above normal for the famous tourist resort in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
Kokernag recorded a low of minus 1.9°C against minus 3.9°C on the previous night and it was 1.5°C above normal for the place, the officials said.
Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 6.8°C against minus 8.4°C on the previous night and it was 1.4°C above normal for the world famous skiing resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, he said.
In Kupwara town, he said, the mercury settled at minus 0.5°C against minus 2.8°C on the previous night and it was 2.4°C above normal in the north Kashmir area.
Jammu recorded a low of 7.1°C against 6.1°C on the previous night. It was 0.1°C above normal for J&K’s winter capital, he said.
Banihal recorded a low of 1.0°C (above normal by 1.3°C), Batote 0.7°C (below normal by 1.7°C), Katra 7.6°C (1.6°C above normal) and Bhadarwah 1.4°C (2.7°C above normal).
Ladakh’s Leh and Kargil recorded a low of minus 15.0°C and minus 13.7°C respectively, the official said.
Kashmir is under the grip of Chillai-Kalan, the 40-day long harsh winter period that started on December 21. It does not mean an end to the winter either. It is followed by a 20-day-long period called ‘Chillai-Khurd’ that occurs between January 30 and February 19 and a 10-day-long period ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold) which is from February 20 to March 1.
Civil society groups need to be mobilised to stop drug trafficking at the local level. Parents should monitor the activities of their children and protect them from getting addicted to drugs and falling into the clutches of drug addicts.
Drug addiction is a hot topic in Jammu and Kashmir because there is an alarming increase in drug addiction cases. The recent extremely upsetting report by the Government Medical College’s Psychiatry department has revealed that Kashmir has surpassed Punjab in drug abuse cases and is currently at the number two position among the top drug abuser states in the country. With the Northeast topping the drug abuse list, Kashmir is not far behind. Jammu and Kashmir is on the powder keg of drug addiction.
Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterised by a persistent and intense urge to engage in certain behaviours, one of which is the usage of a drug, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Drug addiction, also called substance use disorder, is a disease that affects a person’s brain and behaviour and leads to an inability to control the use of a legal or illegal drug or medicine. Substances such as alcohol, marijuana and nicotine are considered drugs. When you are addicted, you may continue using the drug despite the harm it causes.
Drug addiction can start with the experimental use of a recreational drug in social situations, and, for some people, drug use becomes more frequent. For others, particularly with opioids, drug addiction begins when they take prescribed medicines or receive them from others who have prescriptions.
Globally, some 35 million people are estimated to suffer from drug use disorders who require medical treatment, according to the latest World Drug Report, released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The most widely used drug globally continues to be cannabis, with an estimated 188 million people having used the drug in 2017.
As per the study conducted by Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences Kashmir (IMHANS-K) titled Prevalence and Pattern of Substance Use in 10 districts of Kashmir:A 2022 survey, Jammu and Kashmir has surpassed the number of drug abuse cases in Punjab.
Thousands of youth in Kashmir are slipping into the dark alleys of drug addiction as the valley has been flooded with a huge quantity of heroin usage. The Jammu and Kashmir administration had said as per a consumption survey there are at least six lakh residents affected by drug related issues in the region.
Over 33 thousand syringes are used to inject heroin by drug abusers in the Kashmir on a daily basis. Heroin is among the most common drugs used by these abusers. The study shows 90 percent of drug abusers are using heroin while the rest are using cocaine, brown sugar, and marijuana. The survey has also revealed that most of the drug abusers are in the age group of 17-33 years. Unemployed youth are the main consumers of these drugs. And the number of drug abusers in the valley has crossed 67000, while 33000 are injected heroin using syringes. Drug use has become an easy escape from the fluctuating situations of life.
Among the most potential causes attributed to the skyrocketing drug abuse in Kashmir are, an unusual increase in psychiatric disorders, the uncertainty of the conflict, unemployment among the youth and non-availability of recreational activities.
The youth see it as an escape from the uncertainty and trauma of living in a conflict region. But it has unnecessarily taken a heavy toll on youth who are the future of the society.
Kashmir is in the grip of an epidemic and the biggest victims of this epidemic are youth. Over the last few years, there has been an extraordinary increase in crimes in Kashmir. It is said that the main reason for these crimes is the increasing use of drugs among the youth. Drug use has become a scourge, which is giving rise to many social evils. The growing trend of drugs in the Valley should be of concern to the society.
Couple held for drug peddling in Hazratbal on September 30, 2022 by Jammu and Kashmir Police.
Diagnosing drug addiction (substance use disorder) requires a thorough evaluation and often includes an assessment by a psychiatrist, a psychologist, or a licensed alcohol and drug counsellor. Although there’s no cure for drug addiction, treatment options can help you overcome an addiction and stay drug-free.
The eradication of drug addiction needs a multi-pronged approach. There is an urgent need for legal, social and religious measures to prevent drug addiction. Although the government has taken strict measures to eradicate the scourge of drugs, several serious measures are needed to eradicate this epidemic. The laws that are in force for the prevention of drug abuse should be implemented in a better way and these laws should be enforced and made stricter. The cultivation, sale and misuse of cannabis and opium should be completely banned. It is necessary to have cooperation between the administration and the people. Only then can our society get rid of this evil.
Bilal Gani
There is an urgent need for measures not only by the government but also by society to end this scourge. Civil society groups need to be mobilised to stop drug trafficking at the local level. Parents should monitor the activities of their children and protect them from getting addicted to drugs and falling into the clutches of drug addicts. Although there has been a lot of awareness among people about the harmful effects of drugs, this awareness needs to be spread to those areas and people who are unaware of it.
Another aspect of drug abuse prevention is the rehabilitation of victims of this scourge. But recovery must be consistent and victim-focused. The rehabilitation centres should take proper care of the psychological and emotional needs of the victims so that they can fully recover and move towards a prosperous future. These rehabilitation measures include preventive education and awareness building, capacity building, skill development, vocational training and livelihood support for ex-drug addicts, among other relevant measures to stop this epidemic before it is too late.
(The author is pursuing his PhD from the Central University Kashmir in politics and international relations.The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of Kashmir Life.)
SRINAGAR: A self-styled ‘Guide’ has duped at least 10 Kashmiri pilgrims, after taking money from them to show sacred shrines and places in Iran, Iraq, and other countries, leaving them mid-way in Beirut, the capital city of Lebanon.
At least 10 pilgrims are stuck in Delhi this time, requesting Jammu and Kashmir Administration to help them return home as they are without money.
One of the pilgrims Ghulam Hasan Wani of Devara Yetalampora village of Singhpora Pattan told over the phone from Delhi that a Guide Syed Nasir from Harennarah Pattan took Rs one lakh per person to help them on pilgrimage to Karbala and other sacred sites.
“After performing the pilgrimage, the guide left us mid-way in Beirut without informing us. He is still absconding. We suffered heavily as we were not having money with us. We sold our valuables including the earrings and gold chains of women pilgrims accompanying us. Somehow we have managed to reach New Delhi,” he said.
The pilgrims said that they have no money to return back to Valley as they have no money and are starving.
They appealed to LG Manoj Sinha led administration to help them in returning home and direct police to take action against the guide.
“We can’t narrate our sufferings in words. We are illiterates and yet he (Guide) left us in the lurch,” said a woman pilgrim. (KNT)
KULGAM: On the directions of Deputy Commissioner (DC) Kulgam, Dr.Bilal Mohi-Ud-Din Bhat, a team of officers headed by Assistant Commissioner Development (ACD) Kulgam, Mohammad Imran inspected several offices of Rural Development Department in Kulgam.
During the inspection, 11 employees were found unauthorisedly absent from their duties and were placed under suspension with immediate effect vide order No12-ACDK of 023.
Moreover, ACD stressed on cent percent attendance at all offices of Rural Development Department Kulgam and directed all employees to attend their duties regularly.
He warned that strict action shall be taken as per the law against employees for their unauthorized absence from duties. NO: PR/DDI/SGR/23/5829/.
SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Disaster Management Authority has issued an avalanche warning for at least nine districts for next 24 hours.
Jammu and Kashmir Disaster Management Authority (JKDMA) in a statement said that an avalanche with low danger level is likely to occur above 2500 metres over Anantnag, Bandipore, Baramula, Doda, Kishtwar, Kulgam, Kupwara, Poonch, Ramban in next 24 hours.
General public is advised to have valley movement with care. Avoid movement on slopes, JKDMA said in a statement.
SRINAGAR: In a first of its kind, the promoters of the Srinagar-based logistic start-up FastBeetle participated and pitched their business proposal before the Shark Tank India Judges, which was aired on the Sony Television channel. Shark Tank India is a business reality TV series that is in its second season in 2023.
The combined deal from Lenskart CEO Piyush Bansal and Boat CEO Aman Gupta to invest 90 lakhs for 7.5 per cent equity was fixed with the Srinagar-based start-up at Rs 12 crore valuation.
FastBeetle, a start-up promoted by Sheikh Samiullah and Abid Rashid started their courier and logistic services in October 2019 from Srinagar and later to the international shipments within months and went on to become the fastest-growing logistics company from Jammu and Kashmir.
“After watching the show last year, we never thought we would be standing on that carpet pitching our business idea to renowned sharks,” Sheikh Samiullah said in a Tweet.
It is pertinent to mention here that FastBeetle had become the first Kashmiri start-up to raise US $100,000 in a pre-series. A funding round led by investors including Sandeep Patel from Nepra, Saurabh Mittal, Vikram Sanghvi, Rohit Qamra, and a few non-resident Kashmiris.
“Our pitch clearly states that we need to create a start-up ecosystem in the Jammu and Kashmir. We had gone to Shark Tank not to present FastBeetle but to represent the aspiration of the 1.5 crore population of Jammu and Kashmir” added Samiullah in his tweet.
FastBeetle has a empowered more than 1200 start-ups and delivered more than 10 lakh orders to 55+ countries. Giant e-commerce sites like Flipkart, Jiomart has tied up with the FastBeetle to deliver parcels to the remotest areas of Jammu and Kashmir.
They said that their company wants to deliver parcels to the far-flung areas of the India where no one has reached till now.
SRINAGAR: The Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha has strongly condemned the blasts that have taken place in Narwal, Jammu this morning.
Senior police officials briefed the Lt Governor about the blast and on the state of investigation. He called for urgent steps to identify and take action against those responsible.
“Such dastardly acts highlight the desperation and cowardice of those responsible. Take immediate and firm action. No efforts should be spared to bring the perpetrators to justice,” the Lt Governor told the security officials.
The Lt Governor has offered heartfelt sympathies to those injured. He also announced relief of Rs. 50,000 to those injured in the incident. The Lt Governor said that the administration would ensure best possible treatment and extend every help required by the families.
Dr Muzaffar A Macha has been a ‘golden boy’ throughout. At AIIMS and abroad and now home as head of IUST’s Watson-Crick Centre for Molecular Medicine, after working extensively on head and neck cancers, he has been able to identify an antidote for managing the excruciating pain during all cancers. In a freewheeling conversation with Masood Hussain, the young scientist talks about his research career and the immediate goals he has set for himself and the centre
KASHMIR LIFE (KL): How was your journey from Kashmir to the USA and then back to Kashmir?
DR MUZAFFAR A MACHA (MAM): I have done my schooling at Madrassa Taleem-ul Islam (MTI), Tral. Then I did my bachelor’s in Biochemistry and Environmental Sciences from SP College Srinagar. After that, I went to the Jamia Hamdard for my master’s, which I completed in 2005. I topped there and also received a gold medal.
Then, I applied to various universities including Jawaharlal Nehru University, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, CCMB Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, and Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics for PhD. I was selected by three Universities, but I choose AIIMS, because of my personal preference and because of the good translational (applications to humans) research work that was being carried out at AIIMS.
There, I joined the laboratory of Dr Ranju Ralhan. Then I was shifted to another mentor, Sham Singh Chauhan who is the head of AIIMS’s biotechnology department.
I completed my PhD in 2010 and was awarded with a Gold medal called Gita Mittal Award for the best PhD student with the best publications. My PhD work was mostly about head and neck cancer.
After that, I went to the University of Nebraska Medical Center for my post-doctorate. There, I joined Dr Surinder Batra, a scientist and a pancreatic cancer specialist. I worked extensively there on cancer biology. Since I had worked on head and neck cancers during my PhD, because of the fact that India has the most cases of this cancer, I started a group to work further on this.
We continued to work for four and a half years till the completion of my Postdoc. After that, I was inducted there as an Assistant Professor in the same department. I continued there until 2019 and moved back home because of certain family reasons and eagerness to serve my own society.
After coming back, I applied for the Ramanujan Fellowship and Ramalingaswamy Fellowship and I was selected for both fellowships. I joined the Central University of Kashmir (CUK) as a Ramanujan Fellow.
A year after working there, I moved to the Watson-Crick Centre for Molecular Medicine of the Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST). Soon joining as a Ramalingaswami fellow, I was selected as an Assistant professor for Molecular Medicine in the Centre. Presently I am heading the centre.
KL: Cancer is among the most life-threatening diseases. Where the science is right now in the understanding of cancer?
MAM: In the last 10 years, the technology that has emerged to identify cancer, to know the cause of cancer and to understand the basic molecular biological concepts proved to be useful and convenient. To a very large extent, we have conquered the battle against cancer. The immunotherapy that is often used these days is yielding good results in treating cancer. Recent studies and clinical trials all over the world proved that immunotherapy is good among all methods for treating cancer.
The Awantipora Molecule
KL: You have worked extensively on Head and Neck Cancer during your PhD. What were the major takeaways from the research?
MAM: As per the studies and statistical data, India has a huge consumption of tobacco products. Head and neck cancer is mostly because of the consumption of tobacco-based products. My research project during my PhD was based on “How cancer is caused by the consumption of Tobacco based products?” I identified cancer development at the molecular and cellular levels. I identified the novel signalling pathways that get activated and lead to cancer.
Along with this, I identified the usage of natural compounds like Curcumin and Guggulsterone to nullify the effects of smokeless tobacco. These compounds can largely reduce the effects of cancer-causing smokeless tobacco.
KL: Has there been any kind of comparative study? I mean is the pattern different for cancers caused by smoking and non-smoking cancer agents?
MAM: It has been studied and is widely accepted all over the world that smokeless tobacco agents mostly cause mouth cancer but smoking usually causes lung cancer. Still, there are cases of people in India and even in Kashmir who have lung cancer even though they had not consumed any smoking or non-smoking product. Thus it is not only the eating habit, which may lead to cancer, although in the majority of cases, it is true but there are genetic causes also. The off-springs of individuals suffering from cancer are more susceptible to cancer because of certain mutations.
KL: Were your findings accepted by the market and what was the response from academia?
MAM: During my PhD days, we ran a clinical trial in the department of biochemistry and the department of head and neck Surgery of AIIMS. Patients with head and neck cancer were given Curcumin and the effects were studied. I found out that curcumin prevents cancer to some extent. It also reduces the size and recurrence /regrowth of cancer.
KL: After completing the successful clinical trials, things usually move to the pharma sector. Is there any such thing based on clinical trials that the market was triggered by your findings?
MAM: In India, clinical trials were done for curcumin and there are even curcumin derivative compounds in the market that are used as cancer-preventive agents. In the advanced and late stages of cancer, these compounds are not effective but they help in preventing the occurrence of cancer at the early stages.
KL: You did your Postdoc in the USA, What was your research about, and what were the major takeaways from that?
MAM: Initially I worked on pancreatic cancer under the mentorship of Dr Surinder Batra. There, I recapitulated the findings of my PhD work, that is how the natural compounds can prevent the development of cancer and decrease cancer-causing active signalling pathways present in head and neck cancer. I attempted to use the same for pancreatic cancer. My other colleague was working on a molecule called Mucin (MUC4). The findings of my PhD proved that Guggulsterone decreases the expression of Mucin/MUC4.
Expression of Muc4 in the cells increases the tendency of having more aggressive and proliferative cancer. My research study was to reduce the proliferation (Metastasis) and aggressiveness of cancer cells using Guggulsterone.
After that, I created a group of dedicated people to study head and neck cancer. I also came to know that MUC4 is expressed in around 90 per cent of cancer patients, and it causes drug resistance against cancer with time. I came to know that MUC4 is an important factor in the development and metastasis of both pancreatic as well as head and neck cancer.
Dr Muzaffar A Macha (WCCMM-IUST)
KL: What was the follow-up of your research? You must be in touch with the labs still because the scientific community remains in touch with each other. Has there been any kind of formal movement to what you did during your Postdoc?
MAM: No one worked on the MUC4 for quite a long time, but when I was inducted as an Assistant Professor, I started to work on one more molecule called NR4A2 (a transcription factor). I concluded that this molecule has a major role in causing intense pain during cancer. I along with other colleagues are working to design an inhibitor against it. We have identified three inhibitors and we are going to publish this very soon. Inhibitors reduce pain across all cancer patients to a very large extent.
Besides, we found that the pain in pancreatic cancer due to the Perineural-invasion (i.e., Cancer cells penetrate into the nerve cells), is also because of the NR4A2 molecule and can be cured with the help of inhibitors.
KL: You are currently working at the Watson-Crick Center for Molecular Medicine of the IUST. What is your individual research focus there?
MAM: In Kashmir particularly, gastrointestinal tract cancers like oesophageal cancer, stomach cancer, and colorectal cancer are more common in people among all the cancers. Kashmir has the third highest number of oesophageal cancer patients all over the world after China and some areas of Iran.
Although there has been a lot of research work on colorectal cancer and oesophageal cancer, but the actual biology and high throughput technology have not been used here in Kashmir until now. We still do not have the cell-line models and animal models which are necessary to study cancer.
My current project under the Ramalingaswami Fellowship is to develop in-vitro models in order to better study oesophageal and gastric cancers. These models can be used to study the underlying biology and molecular biology of cancer.
KL: Since your Centre is newly established, what is the present state and status of its infrastructure?
MAM: The Watson-Crick Centre for Molecular Medicine started in 2018 but the faculty recruitment was done in 2020. I along with my colleagues like Dr Rais and Dr Arsheed joined in 2020. We started from zero. There was very little infrastructure around and within less than two years, we achieved a great feat. It is all with the help from the higher authorities at the IUST. We now are at the stage of working at an extensive pace and for longer durations. Earlier we had the limitation of culture rooms here but now we almost have everything to do full-fledged research.
KL: Do you have the limitation of any major equipment because high-end research essentially needs sophisticated machinery?
MAM: We do not have high-end and high-throughput machinery, but we have basic instruments. We have procured many instruments and machines and we are in the process of procuring many other. We have an allotment of around Rs 6 crore of funding grants of which Rs 1 crore is for procuring instruments. Projects that require high-end instruments are mostly being done in collaboration with other departments or are outsourced.
KL: Many times more than one university work on the same research topic, but every university has a different vision and different priority. Is any other institution in Kashmir working on the same topic as you do?
MAM: As such, there is only one scientist at Sheri Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences working on the in-vitro models, but I do not know what stage has he reached. Importantly it is worth knowing whether you have the expertise for the research or not. During my Postdoc and Assistant professorship, I have personally made many in-vitro models, so I have the expertise to carry forward that work in our Center at the IUST.
