Month: May 2019

E-Curfew and Digital India

Editor

In the era of digital India, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) has witnessed internet shutdown for more than 197 times in 2018-19. One of the first steps taken by the government for the maintenance of law and order in Kashmir is shutting down the internet to stop the dissemination of provocative content or news. Intermittent internet suspension has been disrupting studies, business, reporting and social life of the residents of the state to a great extent. Digital disconnection and denial of proper, high-value bandwidth, at a time when telecom giants are…

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National Conference leader Devender Singh Rana bats for regional autonomy in Jammu and Kashmir

Editor

National Conference provincial president Devender Singh Rana Sunday said the regional autonomy to the three regions under the overall superintendence of the state government is the only way forward in Jammu and Kashmir. He said the move is necessary to assuage the political aspirations of the people and address to the political dimensions of the state. “Such a mechanism will provide a sense of political empowerment and end the apprehensions of discrimination among the people,” Rana said at a function in Samba district. He said regional autonomy together with well-structured…

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National Highway blockade chokes Kashmir as traffic remained disrupted for fifth consecutive day

Editor

The traffic on the 270-km Jammu-Srinagar national highway remained disrupted for the fifth consecutive day on Sunday as only stranded vehicles were allowed to move on the road after the clearance of debris of landslides that have hit the highway since Wednesday. Though the traffic was scheduled to be restricted to defence vehicles only on Sunday, the authorities allowed stranded vehicles, mostly trucks carrying essential commodities, to move on the highway. More than 5,000 vehicles were stuck on the highway since Wednesday due to continuous landslides and shooting stones in…

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Valley grappling with widespread seasonal allergy caused by pollen from Russian poplars

Editor

The Kashmir valley is grappling with a seasonal health hazard — pollen-induced allergy. Despite thousands of Russian poplars being cut down last year on the orders of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, the pollen allergy is widespread. Though pollen allergies in the spring in the region are common, the allergy induced by the pollen of the poplar varieties imported from Russia, Australia and the US has turned into a perennial health hazard in Srinagar and other major towns, particularly Baramulla and Kupwara towns, where thousands of poplars line up…

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Kashmir Apathetic, Jammu Enthusiastic: J&K Election 2019 Review

Editor

Amidst calls for boycott, sporadic incidents of violence and massive security arrangements, the Lok Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir concluded on May 6. While voters in Jammu and Ladakh thronged to the polling stations, Kashmir valley saw one of the worst turnouts in the recent decades.  The elections in Jammu and Kashmir had hogged the headlines when Election Commission felt that the environment was conducive to hold Parliamentary elections but not assembly polls, owing to the security situation in the Valley. While the regional political parties – Peoples Democratic Party…

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Poll Boycott: Pulwama records 1.91% and Shopian 2.64%

Editor

Nearly sixteen per cent voter turnout was recorded in two Lak Sabha seats in Jammu and Kashmir till 3 pm on Monday, officials said. While Leh and Kargil recorded 49.07 and 60.91 percent turnout respectively, the turnout was dismal in Pulwama and Shopian. Pulwama recorded 1.91 per cent turnout and Shopian 2.64 per cent during this time. Enthusiastic voters started pouring out to throng the polling stations in Leh and Kargil districts. In contrast, most of the polling stations wore a deserted look in Shopian and Pulwama districts where polling…

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To woo Hindu voters, Modi flexing muscles in Kashmir

Editor

Shortly before India’s mammoth elections began in April, New Delhi did something unprecedented: It banned civilian traffic on the only major highway connecting the heart of disputed Kashmir with the rest of the country. The government cited unspecified security threats for the twice weekly ban, but the move is indicative of the approach Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist party have taken to the disputed Himalayan region since taking power in 2014. Gone are the carrot-and-stick methods of previous governments that saw at least attempting to win hearts…

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The first quarter of 2019 witnessed 162 killings in Kashmir: Report

Editor

Ever since militancy erupted in the late 1980s, this is the first time more security forces personnel lost their lives than militants in Kashmir. During the first three months of 2019 at least 162 people including civilians, security forces and militants were killed in various incidents of violence in Jammu and Kashmir, according to a report released by local-rights group, Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS). With 586 killings recorded, 2018 was the deadliest year for the state in a decade. In comparison to the first three months of…

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Darbar move in Digital era

Editor

Jammu and Kashmir is a unique state not only because of use of pellets on humans or blocking internet day in and day out for security concerns but also that, in this informative superhighway age the fashion of Darbar move i.e. shifting of secretariat and other government offices from one capital to another exists in this part of world only. This is a unique process to keep bureaucrats, MLAs, MPs and other government officials warm during winters and cooler during harsh summers. Darbar Move was started during Dogra rule in…

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BJP grappling with identity crisis across Kashmir Valley

Editor

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s election campaign in the Valley has yet again brought to the fore the identity crisis it faces in the Muslim-dominated region. Like before, BJP leaders, during their election campaign in the Valley, avoided raking up the abrogation of Article 370, which has been used as a poll plank by the party in rallies outside Kashmir. The party’s local candidates also put up a ‘Muslim face’ during campaigning. Even as the BJP poll din was somewhat visible in south Kashmir, the campaigning was low key in north…

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