Middle schools open in Kashmir, attendance improving in offices

SRINAGAR: No major law and order incident from Kashmir was reported on Wednesday when as many as 774 middle schools out of 3,000 in Valley reopened for the first time since August 5 when the restrictions were imposed in the valley in the wake of Centre's decision to revoke the special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
Stray incidents of stone pelting in some parts of the Kashmir Valley was reported during the day but these were dealt with locally, Director, Information and Public Relations, Syed Sehrish Asgar, told reporters at the daily briefing here on Wednesday.
Sehrish was flanked by DIG (CKR) VK Birdi and Director School Education Kashmir, Muhammad Younis Malik, who informed almost 25% of the middle schools reopened in the areas where primary schools were re-opened on Monday adding the attendance of staff is increasing from past two days at primary schools.
Some private schools also started functioning in the valley, they said.
“With the opening of middle schools today, the teachers’ attendance was recorded at 60-80 percent and government offices also witnessed 90 per cent attendance on Wednesday. The attendance of students also improved over the past two days,” they said.
It was also informed that the private schools have also started their primary classes while as all the primary and middle level schools also opened in Jammu division.
However, the attendance of students was less in the schools.
In South Kashmir, only 2-3 per cent attendance of students was registered while in some areas of North Kashmir, the students' attendance was up to 50 per cent.
Sehrish said 80-90 per cent attendance of government employees was registered in various offices of deputy commissioners in the valley while the other government offices witnessed 70-90 percent presence of staff.
The official said hospitals and banks are functioning normally in Kashmir, besides ATMs, transport, and other services are adequately operating across the State.
The trio said review meetings are being held at district and divisional level for harvesting and to transport of horticulture produce to other places.
Chief Secretary, B V R Subrahmanyam himself reviewed the transport facilities and establishment of mandies across the Valley. There was no shortfall of transport facilities, the officials informed. The Government urges people not to believe in rumours in this regard, the presser was told.
There was no restriction in place in Jammu region where no law and order incidents were reported.