Srinagar, Dec 3 : Weather was cold and dry with partly cloudy sky in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh during the last 24 hours as the India Meteorologiocal Department office said that same conditions would prevail during the next 24 hours.

“Dry, cold weather with partly cloudy sky is expected in J&K and Ladakh during the next 24 hours,” an office of the MeT department added.

Srinagar had minus 1.9, Pahalgam minus 2.8 and Gulmarg minus 2 degrees Celsius as the minimum temperature on Saturday.

Drass in Ladakh had minus 4, Kargil minus 10.4 and Leh minus 5.4 as the minimum temperature.

Jammu had 10.5, Katra 9.2, Batote 4.2, Banihal 0.4 and Bhaderwah 1.8 as minimum temperature.

SRINAGAR: The Economic Offence Wing of Crime Branch Kashmir Friday produced a challan in Srinagar court against two accused persons in a case related to fraud cheque.

According to a statement, EOW produced challan in Case FIR No. 10/2018 U/S 420, 467, 468, 471, 120-B RPC against Abdul Rashid Bhat and his daughter Rifat Rashid of Hari Singh High Street Srinagar before the court of 13th Finance Srinagar.

The statement reads the instant case had been registered upon receipt of a written complaint preferred by JK Bank Branch Head, Hari Singh High Street Srinagar, wherein it was alleged that a forged cheque presented before the concerned bank officials and later on was credited into the bank account of the accused persons.

“Accordingly, the instant case was registered in P/S Crime Branch Kashmir now Economic Offence Wing, Crime Branch Kashmir. During the course of investigation, it has been established that the accused persons in league with each other succeeded fraudulently in transferring the cheque amount into their personal accounts,” it reads.

It added the evidence substantiated commission of offence U/S 420, 467, 468, 471, 120-B by the accused persons and accordingly challan was Produced before the court of 13th Finance Srinagar.

SRINAGAR: Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) has said it is ironical that government doctors are allowed to run private hospitals in Kashmir.

“Doctors take salary from public hospitals and surprisingly work for private hospitals,” said DAK President Dr Nisar ul Hassan. In a statement Dr Hassan said public hospitals are the places where poor seek health care. Majority of our population is still poor and cannot afford expensive treatment in private hospitals.

“Diverting human resource from government hospitals to private sector deprives poor and underprivileged of essential health care,” he said.

The DAK President said government doctor is a government servant all the 24 hours of the day, round the clock and does not cease to be one during spare hours when he/she is away from duty.

“Permitting private practice at any time in the day is bound to affect the discharge of official duties by government doctor,” he said. Dr Nisar said the dual practice creates pervasive incentives for doctors to increase waiting time at government hospitals so that patients are forced to go to private clinics.

“Doctors concentrate their attention and work effort on private practice at the expense of public hospitals. They use public hospitals as recruiting grounds for their private practice and orchestrate scenarios to generate business for their clinics,” he said.

General Secretary DAK Dr Arshad Ali said private practice has eaten away our premier health institutions which not only are crucial life-saving assets but also full-time centers for medical education and research. The academic character of the health institutions has got damaged and profession of healthcare has got affected by private practice.

“Private health sector should grow, but not at the cost of public health sector,” he said adding “private hospitals can’t run their business by hiring government doctors who are appointed full-time for public sector.”

Spokesperson DAK Dr Riyaz Ahmad Dagga said time has come to segregate health sector and doctors have to decide whether to work for private or public health sector. “Government should ban private practice of government doctors particularly in medical colleges to ensure round the clock availability of doctors for patients,” he added.