Month: January 2018

No respite from intense cold conditions in Kashmir; Kargil coldest at -19 degrees

Editor

There was no respite from intense cold conditions in the Kashmir division as Kargil town in the Ladakh region continued to be the coldest place in the state registering a low of minus 19 degrees Celsius. In the nearby Leh town, the mercury settled at a low of minus 13.8 degrees Celsius, down nearly three degrees from minus 10.9 degrees Celsius a day ago, an official of the Meteorological Department said. Kargil town in the Ladakh region was the coldest place in the state as the minimum temperature last night…

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AI launches Online & Postcard campaign to end use of pellet guns in Kashmir

Editor

Seeking ban on pellet guns, human rights group, Amnesty International India has launched an online and postcard campaign to seek support from people across Jammu and Kashmir with an aim to petition region’s Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti. In a statement, the Amnesty International said that the campaign aims to bring people from across Jammu and Kashmir to write postcards to the state Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti. “It is shameful that the serious concerns raised repeatedly regarding the use of pellet-firing guns have failed to receive sufficient attention from the state…

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Govt ends Haj subsidy, says decision taken to empower minorities

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Minority affairs minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the Saudi Arabian government has in principle agreed to allow Haj journey from India by ships and officials of the two countries will sit together to finalise modalities. There will be no subsidy for Haj pilgrims from this year, minority affairs minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said Tuesday. Naqvi told reporters that despite the subsidy withdrawal, a record number of 1.75 lakh Muslims will undertake the pilgrimage this year from India. Naqvi also said the Saudi Arabian government has in principle agreed to allow…

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Altaf Bukhari hits back at General Bipin Rawat, says don’t meddle in state’s education system

Editor

J&K Education Minister Altaf Bukhari said that the Army should concentrate on its own job and not meddle with the state’s education system. Jammu and Kashmir Education Minister Altaf Bukhari on Saturday hit back at Army Chief General Bipin Rawat for hinting that students in the Kashmir Valley were being ”radicalised” in the schools. Attacking Rawat, Bukhari said the Army should concentrate on its own job and not meddle with the state’s education system. “The Army Chief is a respected officer. I do not think he is an educationist that…

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Tourism in doldrums, footfall down in last 6 years

Editor

The government’s claim of creating tourism infrastructure in the state has fallen flat as the number of tourists arrivals in the state is decreasing with each passing year. Except the Vaishno Devi shrine and the Amarnath cave, almost all other tourist destinations in the state have witnessed a dip in tourists in the last six years. The Tourism Department last year spent a huge amount by participating in two international events at Berlin and Thailand, but it failed to attract foreign tourists. The state also organised 22 national travel marts…

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‘Gul Makai’ Malala biopic shoot creates buzz in Sonamarg

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A biopic based on Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai is currently being shot in Sonamarg on the Kashmir-Ladakh axis after the makers discovered that the area resembled the Swat valley known as the ‘Switzerland of Pakistan’. The film shooting has created a buzz in the area in the winter months as more than 700 locals have been engaged in its production in sub-zero temperatures. Even as well-known teenaged actor Reem Shaikh is playing the role of Malala, who had shot to fame after surviving a Taliban attack, more than…

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Hangul struggles to survive, count dips to 138

Editor

The only Asiatic survivor of the red deer, hangul is struggling against extinction as the latest census puts the lower limit of its total population at an alarming 138. The latest census carried out by the state’s Department of Wildlife Protection in technical collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India has found grim statistics with no significant improvement in the hangul population. “The population estimate of hangul is 182, with upper and lower limits of 214 and 138, respectively,” the latest census report said. The latest limit is the lowest…

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Kashmir: Where the writing is on downed shutters

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The writing is not just on the wall — but also on the downed shutters of Kashmir. Political scientist Navnita Chadha Behera, with over 25 years of work on the troubled region, believes that to decode Kashmir, you have to start your research afresh every time you are there. Calling the troubled state a steep learning curve , Behera said on her last visit there, she gauged the mood by observing the downed shutters in the Valley. During my last visit, I decided to just walk around and take pictures…

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Nallah Maar: Story of heritage lost to urbanisation, apathy

Editor

A wooden boat glides through placid waters against a setting sun as fishermen row close to waterfront houses with gardens that burst with colours. It’s an idyllic picture of a Srinagar that once was, a visual recall of a waterway punctuated by arched bridges that was not just a navigational lifeline for the city but also a protection from heavy rains and floods. The Nallah Maar (Maar is the Kashmiri word for snake), called so because it snaked through the city, is no more. In its stead is a wide…

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