Feature
Tight security in Jammu and Kashmir for Independence Day
Jammu/Srinagar: Extraordinary security arrangements were put in place on Friday on the eve of the country’s Independence Day and in the aftermath of terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Maulana Azad Stadium in Jammu and the Bakshi Stadium in Srinagar, the venues of the main Independence Day parades and functions in the state, have been taken over by security forces.
Roads around the Bakshi Stadium in Srinagar have been sealed for traffic and pedestrian movement with coils of concertina wire and makeshift drop gates.
Sharp shooters have been deployed on high-rises around the Bakshi Stadium to ensure that these vantage positions are not used by separatist guerrillas to fire rocket propelled grenades towards the parade venue.
Javaid Mujtaba Geelani, inspector general of police (IGP), Kashmir, told reporters in Srinagar that “Adequate security arrangements have been made in Srinagar city and other places in the valley to ensure militants are not able to disrupt normalcy.”
Scores of policemen, wearing bullet proof vests and holding automatic weapons, are stopping and checking all vehicles entering Srinagar city.
Passengers and vehicles are thoroughly checked before being allowed to enter the city.
The makeshift checkposts have made the traffic move at snail’s pace after vehicles enter the city.
“A number of CCTVs in addition to those already installed at traffic crossings, busy markets and around sensitive installations have been installed and made functional in Srinagar city to gear up surveillance and area domination on the eve of August 15 this year,” an official told IANS in Srinagar.
Authorities have imposed curfew-like restrictions in the police station areas of Rainwari, Khanyar, Nowhatta,M. R. Gunj, Safa Kadal, Maisuma and Kralkhud.
In Jammu, major security arrangements are in place after many years because of the recent terror attack in Udhampur district of Jammu region in which three people including two Border Security Force (BSF) troopers and a terrorist were killed and 11 BSF troopers injured on August 5.
Danish Rana, IGP, Jammu, told IANS, “All necessary precautions have been taken. We have plugged the borders to ensure that terrorists are prevented from infiltrating into our side of the border.
“Night domination has been ensured through ubiquitous presence of security forces. All vehicles entering the city from adjacent districts are thoroughly checked,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, chairman of the moderate Hurriyat group and Syed Ali Shah Geelani, chairman of the breakaway Hurriyat group, have been placed under house arrest in Srinagar by authorities ahead of August 15.
Separatists have called for a complete shutdown on Saturday.
This year’s extraordinary security arrangements have become necessary as the separatists have carried out a number of attacks in the valley during recent days.
Earlier this week, militants injured three security men including a police officer and two CRPF troopers in addition to a civilian in a grenade attack in the Khanyar area of Srinagar.
Most roads and markets in uptown areas where authorities had not imposed restrictions began emptying of people in the afternoon as commuters, shopkeepers and shoppers preferred to reach home early because of frequent frisking/checking and the resulting tension in the city.
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.
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