news details |
|
|
| Unnoticed highlights of Chidambaram's Valley visit | | | Early Times Report
jammu, June 21: As all eyes remained focused on the security aspect of the union home minister, P. Chidambaram's visit to the Valley, some of the visit's most significant highlights went unnoticed.
For the first time since the separatist violence started in the Valley in 1990s, Kashmiri leaders did not call for a protest Bandh on the arrival of a VVIP from New Delhi. Before Chidambaram present visit to the Valley, which is his first visit there this year, Kashmiri separatist leaders have always called for a general Valley wide shutdown on the eve of any VVIP visit there.
Markets would remain shut, educational institutions would be forced to close down and markets, public transport and other spheres of normal activity would be brought to a grinding halt by the separatists.
When Chidambaram landed at the Srinagar airport on Monday, Srinagar and other places in the Valley functioned normally. Thousands of tourists who are presently in the Valley went about their pleasure rides inside the Dal Lake and into the Mughal Gardens around the Lake without any hassles.
Kashmiris as usual played host to the tourists as businesses, offices and other spheres of normal human activity functioned normally.
In contrast to the past, the home minister did not board a helicopter at the Srinagar airport to reach the Raj Bhawan in the city. Instead, his cavalcade moved normally through the busy markets of Humhama, Hyderpora, Rambagh, Solina and other places to reach the Raj Bhawan covering a distance of 24 kilometres.
The security forces maintained a high level of preparedness, but they did not stop the movement of public and private transport on the roads used by the VVIP cavalcades this time.
Interestingly, a relaxed home minister walked to the local bus stand in Pahalgam tourist resort where locals and tourists were thrilled to see him. They requested Chidambaram to pose for some photographs with them. A smiling, relaxed home minister said why not.
In Pahalgam, Chidambaram is spending the night at a government owned hut known as the 'Bobby' hut. It was inside this hut that the famous Rishi Kapoor-Dimple Kapadia song, "Hum Tum Ek Kamray mein Band houn aur Chabi Kho Jaye" was filmed by Raj Kapoor.
Tomorrow the home minister will make an aerial survey of the hilly route to the Holy Cave Shrine of Amarnath. It is also expected that Chidambaram would personally take stock of the facilities being made available to this year's Yatris en route to the Cave Shrine.
The BSF has organized a function at their Neeru post in the Gurez sector of the line of control in Bandipora district for the home minister tomorrow. Raman Srivastava, DG BSF accompanying the home minister during his present visit, would host Chidambaram during a Sainik Sammelan at the LOC post.
The home minister had last visited the Valley in October 2010 when the four month long agitation had played havoc with the tourist season and the local economy there.
If the Valley witnessed its summer of discontent in 2010, it is quite possible the summer of 2011 would heal the festering wounds left behind by the bloody unrest there last year. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
STOCK UPDATE |
|
|
 |
| BSE
Sensex |
 |
| NSE
Nifty |
|
|
| |
CRICKET UPDATE |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
