Omar’s estranged wife refuses to vacate Lutyens’ bungalow

Mehbooba Mufti swept away opponents to win the Anantnag assembly seat recently, but her government has run into a wall trying to evict former CM Omar Abdullah’s estranged wife from a sprawling type-VIII 7 Akbar Road bungalow, which is the CM’s designated official residence in New Delhi. Payal Abdullah, estranged from Omar in 2011, has resisted all attempts by the J&K resident commission estate officer to evict her. As an estranged wife, Payal insists, it’s her legal right to contest the eviction and live in the bungalow allotted to her…

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SPCB caught napping as illegal crusher units come up in Bandipora

State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) seems to have gone in deep slumber as the growth of illegal crusher units, mixing and macadam plants in and around the fragile forest and aquatic ecosystem in Bandipora has risen to an alarming level. SPCB remained in dark till many agencies and individuals set up over half a dozen crusher units across the forest line in Bandipora. Even few crusher units have been illegally installed in close proximity of the restricted aquatic habitat of trout streams. Though the forest department had acted many a…

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This year drones would hover over Amarnath Yatra Track

This year, government is mulling to monitor Hindu pilgrimage – Amarnath Yatra – using drones. A news report on Wednesday said that the surveillance cameras – the drones will hover over the entire trek round-the-clock and beam the pictures back to the control rooms. The Yatra starts from July 02. Amarnath Yatris are given four-ring security cover journeying to the Amarnath cave overlooking the valley. Once the Yatris enter J&K at Lakhanpur, they are protected by the CRPF, Jammu and Kashmir Police escorts and guards, all along the route. “The…

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Protests in Lolab; locals demand exile of ‘Informer’

Hundreds of angry protesters Wednesday demanded deportation of a local (informer) allegedly involved in the killing of a foreign militant at Warnow village in Lolab region of Kupwara district. The protesters including women carried green flags amid ‘pro-freedom and anti-establishment’ slogans marched towards house of the accused. However, to avoid any eventuality police reached the spot and are tried to control the situation. The situation remained tense as the protesters were adamant to burn down the house of the accused informer. Reports said after Zuhr prayers hundreds of protesters from…

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Two ex-passport officials get 4-year jail term for fraud

A special anti-corruption court has awarded rigorous imprisonment for four years to former passport officer Bashir Ahmad Zargar and his deputy MA Turi. The court imposed a fine of Rs 3 lakh each on the officials. The special anti-corruption court for CBI cases in Srinagar convicted the duo in a corruption case involving illegal sale of passport forms and misappropriation of Rs 6,63,661. “Both convicted officials were taken into custody from the open court and sent to Central Jail in Srinagar under judicial custody,” said special public prosecutor Asifa Padroo,…

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Religious groups step up liquor ban demand in Kashmir

State government rejects call for prohibition saying consumption is a ‘matter of choice’ Religious groups in Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir have stepped up a campaign for a statewide blanket ban on alcohol. A ban would have the overwhelming support of the Kashmiri people, they said. The state government ruled out imposing a ban last week amid calls for the introduction of prohibition by asserting that it cannot choke people’s freedom of choice. “There is a demand to ban liquor but I believe that the issue needs to be addressed on…

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Transfer of power projects on govt’s agenda : A R Veeri

J&K Minister for Public Works and Parliamentary Affairs Abdul Rehman Veeri today said the transfer of power projects is on the agenda of the BJP-PDP coalition government. The minister said that the government would work with the Central government to explore modalities for transfer of the Dulhasti and Uri hydro power projects to the state. “On March 16, 2015, the Deputy Chief Minister and the Finance Minister met the Union Power Minister formally and discussed various issues relating to the power sector. They impressed upon the Union government for transfer…

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Shops raided in central market for selling fake Kashmiri artefacts

The government today raided shops at Central Market for allegedly selling counterfeit Kashmiri handicrafts despite having been given shops at a meagre rent of Rs 15 per month at the business hub of Srinagar. “We raided a few shops at Kashmir Haat adjacent to Masjid Bilal on Wednesday over the complaints of sale of counterfeit artefacts,” Deputy Director (Quality Control) of the Handicrafts Department Sumaira Shamim told Kashmir POST. Sumaira said that the inspection team would file a report about the quality of the samples of artefacts picked up from…

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Amit Shah blames Nehru’s ‘Historic Blunder’ for ‘Kashmir Issue’

Referring to the declaration of truce in 1948 when Pakistan-backed tribal raiders were being repulsed in Kashmir, Shah said the problem in the border state would not exist today but for that decision. Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah Wednesday blamed Jawaharlal Nehru’s “historic blunder” for the current impasse in Jammu and Kashmir, and criticised the then Congress leadership’s role during the later part of the freedom struggle, which, he said, led to Partition. Referring to the declaration of truce in 1948 when Pakistan-backed tribal raiders were being repulsed in…

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Books & Coffee in Kashmir has a new address

Locals and tourists have been flocking to a new book shop-cum-cafe in a picture-perfect setting in Indian-administered Kashmir. Ringed by mountains and set on a tiny island in Dal Lake, which is often described as the “jewel of Srinagar”, the bookstore has 80,000 titles on offer, including books on Kashmir’s history, heritage, culture, travel, religion and literature. Although it has only been a few weeks since it opened, Gulshan Books cafe has already had thousands of visitors. There’s a reading room attached to the shop where 1,500 titles are available…

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