Mercury drops to – 4.4°C in Srinagar City

The night temperature in the Kashmir valley has fallen several degrees below the freezing point while the days are unusually warm, rising to a high of a few degrees above the average. The minimum temperature recorded overnight at most places in the Valley was four to six degrees below the freezing point, an official at Srinagar Meteorological Center said. In Srinagar, the overnight temperature had dropped to a low of -4.4°C, which was two degrees colder than the normal. Gulmarg, a skiing resort in north Kashmir and a major attraction…

Read More

Operation Bluestar: 33 yrs on, Golden Temple’s fight for justice still on

The Teja Singh Samundari Hall in the Golden Temple complex may have been refurbished, but the scars remain. Quite literally. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has preserved 147 bullet marks on the walls of its HQ, just so they can serve as evidence in a Rs 1,000-crore suit related to a military attack on the Golden Temple during Operation Blue Star. One fallout of Operation Blue Star was the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards in October 1984. Sikh leaders say that while money can’t…

Read More

Shawl making in Kashmir

The arts and crafts of Kashmir have enjoyed a well-earned fame for centuries. The pre-eminence of the decorative art can be attributed to historical conditions that shaped the cultural development of the Kashmiri people. The people of the Valley have thus developed their technical and artistic traditions over centuries. In fact art of a place is the heritage of many generations; it represents a series of consecutive layers, which reflect people’s culture through the ages. The small or big creations reflect the necessity of everyday life as well as the…

Read More

NN Vohra first Governor to address joint session for 10 yrs

History was scripted in the Central hall of the Legislative Assembly today when Governor NN Vohra addressed the joint session of the state Legislature for the 10th consecutive year. He has worked with four Chief Ministers during a decade-long stint as the Governor of the state. Vohra was appointed as the 12th Governor of the state on June 25, 2008, which saw the successful conduct of two Assembly elections during his rule. He worked with four Chief Ministers — Ghulam Nabi Azad (PDP-Congress coalition), Omar Abdullah (NC-Congress coalition), late Mufti…

Read More

Essential commodities shortage hit various parts of Srinagar

People in various areas of Srinagar complained of shortage of essential commodities and urged authorities to send fresh supplies without delay. “We are suffering immense hardships due to shortage of essentials for past week. The authorities have failed to supply the ration for December,” said Abbas Ahmad, a local at Shivpora. He added that that due to lack of food grains, they were compelled to fetch essentials from private shops. Inhabitants of Sonwar and Rajbagh have same complaint. They alleged that the ration depots were without supplies, forcing the people…

Read More

Changing weather pattern not good for farmers: Study

The winter is turning out to be driest period in the recent years in Jammu. The region has received below average rain since the withdrawal of monsoon in September last year. Post-monsoon months of October, November and December are considered as dry months but there used to be occasional rain and thunderstorms beneficial for the rabi season. Except a few days of rainfall and snowfall in mid-December in 2017, the region is experiencing warm weather and cold nights. “Although October-December is mainly dry, this year there was below average rainfall…

Read More

Ruckus marks start of Budget session, Govt faces Opposition heat over civilian killings

The budget session of the legislature began on a stormy note on Tuesday, with opposition parties interrupting the governor NN Vohra’s address to the joint sitting of legislators and also staging a walkout against civilian killings and “mis-governance” in the state. As the governor was about to start his address on the opening day of the budget session, the National Conference and Congress legislators stood up from their seats and raised anti-government slogans over civilian killings by government forces in Kashmir and the “governance-deficit” in the state. While National Conference…

Read More

Challenges in J&K will be met through dialogue: Mehbooba Mufti

Reiterating that dialogue is the only means to resolve all “disagreements” in Jammu and Kashmir, chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said that she is working with the people of the state and center to help the state reach its full potential. In her tweet, Mufti said: “I wholeheartedly agree with Governor N. N. Vohra that the challenges in the state will be met through dialogue, which is the best means of resolving all disagreements. Working with the people of the state & center we remain committed to helping J&K achieve its…

Read More