Year: 2019

City roads in shambles, administration unmoved

Editor

Though the Governor Satya Pal Malik on the eve of opening of bi-annual Darbar Move here had expressed his concern over the dilapidated roads and had directed the concerned to ensure immediate repair work of roads, but there seems to be no progress on the ground as commuters continue to suffer on the Srinagar roads that have developed cracks and potholes and are in shambles. R&B Chief Engineer in March had also maintained that all the roads that have developed cracks, or potholes will be repaired on fast track basis…

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Gunfight rages in Pulwama, three Rebels, Soldier, Civilian Killed, Curfew imposed in Pulwama town, shutdown in Shopian

Editor

Three rebels, an army man and a civilian were killed in a fierce gunfight that broke out in Dalipora area of Pulwama town in south Kashmir on Thursday morning. An official said that the gunfight broke out shortly before dawn after the security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Dalipora following inputs about the presence of militants. He said the rebels opened fire after the forces approached the house where they were hiding. “The forces retaliated, triggering a fierce gunfight,” he said, adding that three militants and a…

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Due to recurring landslides, Jammu – Srinagar national highway continues to remain shut

Editor

Recurring landslides hitting Jammu-Srinagar National Highway at Digdol area here have put the district administration and Traffic police in quandary. The only all-weather road that connects Kashmir with rest of the country has not been “restored fully” for the vehicular movement since last Wednesday, when several landslides blocked the highway. And, owing to a fresh landslide that hit the highway on Tuesday morning at Digdol, around 3000 Srinagar-Jammu bound vehicles, including some 300 light motor vehicles, remained stranded on around 20 kilometers of road stretch in the Ramban district till…

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‘Let the nomads return to plains’, BJP batting for J&K assembly polls in November

Editor

The BJP’s Jammu and Kashmir unit on Tuesday said assembly elections should be held in November after over 30 lakh nomads return from the state’s high-altitude areas to the plains. “We want that elections should be held in Jammu and Kashmir in November this year. It should be held after the return of Gujjars and Bakerwals back to the plains from the upper reaches of the state. It is the period of November,” state BJP general secretary Ashok Koul told reporters in Jammu. He said the party does not favour…

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#JusticeForAiman: Protests erupt in Srinagar, Baramulla, Sopore

Editor

Protests erupted in many parts of Srinagar city on Monday over the rape of a minor girl in Sumbal area of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district last week. Reports said that protests erupted in Saida Kadal, Gaw Kadal, Almagari Bazar and Shalimar areas of the city. Schools and other business establishments have also been closed in the city while the movement of public transport has been affected. There has been an outrage over horrific rape of a three-year-old girl in Trigam, Sumbal. Police have already arrested the accused, who is a…

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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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