Shopian/Tral, Sep 11: A 40-year-old man and a woman were injured in separate bear attacks reported from Shopian and Tral areas of south Kashmir on Friday.
In Shopian, the man was attacked by a wild bear in an apple orchard in the Sedow area of the district.
An official said the animal attacked the man while he was in the orchard. The injured was identified as Sadiq Ahmad Thokar, 40, son of Abdul Rahman, a resident of Sedow.
He was shifted to Sub-District Hospital (SDH) Shopian for treatment.
Meanwhile, another bear attack was reported from Handoora, Aripal, in Tral area of Pulwama district.
A woman identified as Hajira, wife of Ghulam Ahmad Khan, a resident of Handoora, Aripal, was attacked by a bear and sustained injuries.
She was shifted to SDH Tral for treatment.
Authorities have taken cognizance of both incidents. [KNT]
Daily Wagers May Be Regularized in Phases, Says Dy CM Surinder Choudhary
Srinagar, Sep 11, KNT: Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary on Friday said the Omar Abdullah-led government may regularize daily wagers working across various government departments in a phased manner, while appealing to the workers not to become a “political tool”.
Choudhary said daily wagers are working in almost every government department and described their demand for regularization as genuine, indicating that the government intends to address the issue through a phased process.
Talking to reporters, the Deputy Chief Minister said, “Daily wagers are in every department and we will regularize them as their demand is genuine.”
He also appealed to the workers not to allow themselves to be exploited by political parties, saying they should not become a political tool over the issue of regularization.
The statement comes amid continued demands by daily wagers and other temporary workers for regularization. The government had earlier indicated that it would begin the regularization process in 2026, subject to legal and financial considerations.
More than one lakh casual, daily-rated and other temporary workers have been registered across government departments, according to figures presented before the J&K Legislative Assembly earlier this year. Workers’ organizations have separately been demanding regularization of long-serving daily wagers and a clear, time-bound policy.
The government had also constituted a high-level committee headed by the Chief Secretary to examine the legal, financial and administrative aspects of regularization and formulate a roadmap.
Choudhary’s latest remarks indicate that the government is considering a phased approach to the regularization of eligible daily wagers, while the workers continue to seek clarity on the timeframe and modalities of the process. [KNT]
