Month: April 2019

Valley’s wedding season badly hit by Highway Crisis

Editor

With hundreds of sheep-laden trucks stuck along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway for the past several days, mutton shortage has badly spoiled the ongoing wedding season. Mutton dealers, who haven’t been able to deliver orders to customers, have threatened to suspend business activity from the next week if the traffic is not restored on the highway. The dealers said more than 250 trucks laden with sheep are stuck at Udhampur. Several families have cancelled or rescheduled weddings. “At the last moment we were informed by the mutton dealer that he cannot…

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Rain, Storm uproots trees, snapped power supply in J&K

Editor

Overnight thunderstorm and rain in different parts of Jammu and Kashmir disrupted normal life while plunging a large areas in darkness as power lines were snapped. However, no injuries or loss of life was reported in Jammu, Reasi, Samba, Kathua, Kupwara, and Anantnag, which were worst-affected by high velocity winds. Parts of Rajouri and Udhampur were also affected by the storm. In Jammu district, power lines and electric poles were damaged as many trees were uprooted. It was only after Jammu Municipal Corporation staff and power development department (PDD) workers…

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BJP’s Giriraj Singh wants EC to ban green flags, ‘Gives feeling of being in Pakistan’

Editor

Union minister and BJP leader Giriraj Singh courted yet another controversy on Tuesday when he called for a ban on green flags, which he said “tend to create hatred in the society and gives one a feeling of being in Pakistan”. Talking to media persons in Begusarai on Tuesday, Singh demanded that the Election Commission ban green flag, claiming it gave an impression of Muslim-related political or religious institutions. “These type of flags tend to create hatred in the society and gives one a feeling of being in Pakistan,” he…

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Review highway ban: HC to Govt

Editor

The J&K High Court today granted one week more to the state government to file its response to petitions challenging the highway ban order. The court observed that the government would have to defend its ban after it was pointed out by a senior lawyer that the state Home Secretary has no power to pass such an order directing restrictions on the movement of civilian traffic on the national highway for two days a week. The directions were issued by a Division Bench, headed by Justice Ali Mohammed Magrey, in…

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Earthquake of 8.5 magnitude long overdue in Himalayan region: Scientists

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A mega earthquake of magnitude 8.5 or more is long overdue in the Himalayan region but India has not learnt from past mistakes and is far from being prepared for such an eventuality with no strategy to minimise loss of life and property, scientists say. The government must ensure seismic safety, scientists from all over the country who gathered here last week for a global workshop said.The April 18-20 International Workshop on Climate Change and Extreme Events in Himalayan Region, hosted by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi, was…

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Highway Ban: No civilian traffic on highway today

Editor

Jammu and Kashmir Traffic police department on Tuesday said that no civilian traffic would be allowed to ply on Srinagar-Jammu national highway on Wednesday. They issued an advisory and said that Wednesday is convoy and no civilian traffic will be allowed on highway. “No movement of any kind of public vehicle shall be allowed from Udhampur towards Srinagar and vice versa,” said the advisory. In April the government has banned the movement of civilian traffic on highway for two days. It has said keeping in view the large movement of…

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Anantnag records 13.63% voter turnout, Bijbehara lowest, Pahalgam highest, 40 booths with zero voting

Editor

The first of three-phase polling for Lok Sabha polls in Anantnag constituency was held on Tuesday amidst tight security measures and witnessed 13.63 voter turnout.The polling was held at 714 polling stations across the Anantnag district, which has six Assembly segments. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) J&K, Shailendra Kumar said overall poll percentage in the district was recorded 13.63 with highest 20.37 per cent in Pahalgam segment.He said for smooth polling, ECI had setup 714 polling stations including 21 model polling stations, 12 all women model polling stations in the district.…

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After zero turnout in Anantnag, Omar Abdullah appeals ‘Give anger a Voice’

Editor

In the first two hours of voting in phase three of Lok Sabha polls, not a single vote was cast in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ananatnag Lok Sabha constituency, a hotbed of militant activities, while former chief minister Omar Abdullah urged people to ‘vote to give anger a voice’. “To the voters of Anantnag, please don’t reward the death, destruction & deceit of the last 4 years by staying home & boycotting the election. Come out & vote to give your anger a voice. Vote for the best candidate in the…

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1.55% Voter turnout in Anantnag district till 9 AM, 0.27% in Bijbehara, 2.5% in Kokernag

Editor

1.55 percent votes have been polled till 9 am on Tuesday in Anantnag Lok Sabha seat, an official said. Polling began at 7 a.m. and will end at 4 pm for the Anantnag Lok Sabha seat. Heavy deployment of The Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) and state police has been made to secure the polling stations and provide safety to the voters. There are around 714 polling stations set up for 5,23,566 voters in six polling segments of Bijbehara, Pahalgam, Shangus, Anantnag, Kokernag and Dooru. Poll authorities have set up…

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Cross-LoC trade to resume after plugging of loopholes: MHA

Editor

The cross-Line of Control (LoC) trade, which was suspended by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) because of its misuse for terror funneling purposes, will resume soon after the mechanisms to check the loopholes are put in place. Sources said the work had started on installing truck scanners at both the trade centres — Salamabad in the Kashmir valley and Chakan Da Bagh in Poonch in Jammu — to enable the customs department and other agencies to see what is being imported from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. A senior officer, on the…

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