Observe Shutdown across Kashmir on Nov 17 against Panchayat polls: JRL

Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) has called for a complete shutdown across Kashmir on November 17 against the panchayat polls. The JRL comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik urged people to observe shutdown against “yet another election drama” being enacted by the “oppressive regime” of New Delhi. They urged the people to reject and boycott the Panchayat polls “in the same way they rejected the Urban Local Bodies polls by staying indoors.” In a statement issued here, the JRL also said that strike should also be…

Read More

J&K and Punjab police on alert after four men hijack taxi in Pathankot

A high alert was sounded in Punjab’s Pathankot and J&K’s Kathua after four men commandeered a taxi at gunpoint near Madhopur. The four men hired the taxi, a silver coloured Innova with registration number JK02AW-0922, from Jammu railway station on Tuesday night. The railway station taxi union vice-president Rajvinder Singh said, “The taxi was booked in the name of Major Sarvjeet Singh and was Pathankot-bound. Our CCTV footage shows there were four people and one among them was wearing a monkey cap.” The four had conducted a recce before hiring…

Read More

Keen on forming govt, will stake claim when numbers come our way: BJP Leader Ashok Koul

The Bharatiya Janata Party, which has the second highest number of lawmakers in an Assembly of 89, has said it is ready to form the government in J&K. The BJP has 26 MLAs while the Peoples Democratic Party has 28 MLAs in the Lower House. The party is looking for 19 other lawmakers to touch the magic figure of 45, according to a senior functionary of the party in J&K who has been involved in government-formation efforts. Ashok Koul, organising secretary of the state BJP, told Kashmir Post on Tuesday:…

Read More

Wetlands across Kashmir valley shrinking at alarming pace

Wetlands in Kashmir are shrinking at an alarming pace due to unplanned urbanisation, siltation and lack of conservation measures by the state government, experts have said. Wetlands act as flood absorption basins by retaining excess waters and are also referred as the Earth’s kidneys for helping absorb wastes like nitrogen and phosphorous. Citing Kashmir “geomorphic setup”, an expert said in view of its flat topography, the Valley is highly vulnerable to flooding, but most wetlands, which acted as reservoirs of floodwaters, have lost their carrying capacity due to “haphazard urbanisation…

Read More

#PowerCrisis – Dark days ahead as PDD frames power curtailment schedule

Metered areas to witness daily 4 hrs power cuts, Non-metered areas to 8 hr Adding to woes of people who are already facing unscheduled long power cuts, the Power Development Department (PDD) has framed power curtailment schedule and decided to resort to daily power cuts of eight hours in metered areas and four hours in non metered areas. Sources told Kashmir Post that even though the curtailment of electricity would vary from one grid station to another, however, on an average there would be seven to eight hours power cuts in non-metered…

Read More

After tiff with Mattu and other spate of controversies Basant Rath removed as IGP

The government on Tuesday transferred outspoken Inspector General of Police (IGP), Traffic, Basant Kumar Rath after his tiff with newly elected Srinagar Mayor Junaid Mattu, who was backed by BJP and its ally Peoples Conference. An order issued by Home Department read, “Basant Kumar Rath, IGP Traffic J&K is transferred and attached in the office of Commandant General, Home Guards/Civil Defence/SDRF till further orders.” As per the order, Alok Kumar IGP Security J&K has replaced Rath. Rath’s tenure comes after his last week’s verbal duel with Mattu on Twitter. Terming…

Read More