May 2023 | Page 6 of 10

Railway connectivity reaching Uri, Eliciting joy among Locals

May 18, 2023 Editor

The announcement of getting frontier town Uri in Jammu and Kashmir on the railway map of the country has brought cheers to locals who hope that starting train services would not only ease their commute but also give a fillip to the trade and tourism sectors here. The Northern Railway has revealed plans to begin work on the 50-km Baramulla-Uri railway line for which tenders have been floated, officials said on Tuesday, adding that the rail authorities were gearing up to undertake the Final Location Survey (FLS). They said the…

China and Turkey expected to skip G20 meeting in Kashmir

May 18, 2023 Editor

China and Turkey are among G20 member states that won’t attend a tourism working group meeting to be held in Srinagar next week while several other countries will have low-level participation in the event, people familiar with the matter said. The meeting, to be held during May 22-24, is being billed as one of the largest international events to be organised in Kashmir in the aftermath of the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. Tight security arrangements have been put in place around the venue, Sher-e-Kashmir International Conventional Centre…

Security Advisory Issued by Police Ahead of G20 Summit

May 18, 2023 Editor

Police has issued an advisory for the general public advising them to remain cautious towards some suspicious telecommunications. “The people have been advised not to respond to any of the following numbers i.e., +44 7520 693559, +447418343648 and +44 7520 693134 or any ISD number which are spreading rumours regarding the upcoming G-20 event,” reads, an advisory issued by Jammu police. The police said that “These numbers are spreading anti national messages/propaganda and the general public should remain fully alert towards these attempts and not respond to any of such…

Mehbooba Mufti accuses BJP of running country on communal agenda and promoting hate-mongers

May 18, 2023 Editor

Accusing the BJP of running the country on communal agenda, former J&K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday said the party doesn’t know the significance of Article 370 as they have “sidelined the Constitution”. Talking to the media persons, Mufti said that the BJP “broke a bridge” by scrapping Article 370 and sidelining “those having faith in the country”. In response to a question on the G-20 event in Srinagar, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief said that Jammu and Kashmir is being presented as a “trophy” to showcase normalcy.…

Planned Army withdrawal from J&K put on hold ‘Indefinitely

May 17, 2023 Editor

The planned phased withdrawal of the Army from certain areas of the Jammu region has been shelved “indefinitely” in view of terror attacks being orchestrated from across the border, officials said here. They said the government had planned to reduce the footprints of Rashtriya Rifles, a counter-insurgency force of the Army, in the Jammu region and hand over the security to the Jammu and Kashmir Police and paramilitary forces. The Army has three Counter-Insurgent Forces (CIF) in the Jammu region — Delta Force (which looks after the Doda region), Romeo…

Hope For Tourism Rejuvenation: G20 sparks optimism for the return of Foreign Tourists to Kashmir

May 17, 2023 Editor

As the G20 tourism working group meeting is due to take place in Srinagar, there has been a resurgence of confidence among the tourism stakeholders that foreign tourists would soon start travelling to Kashmir in great numbers. On the shores of the Dal Lake, Sher-e-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) is all set to host this year’s largest international summit from May 22 to May 24. To make the occasion attractive and historic, Srinagar has been transformed into a smart city. As plans are being finalised for the third meeting of the…

Crop Destruction Woes: Wild Boars Run Rampant, Causing Havoc for Farmers

May 17, 2023May 17, 2023 Editor

In many parts of the world, wild boars have become a menace to farmers due to their habit of destroying crops. The situation is no different in Kashmir, where farmers are facing huge losses due to the damage caused by these animals. Wild boars, known for their voracious appetite, are destroying crops like paddy, maize, and vegetables, which is causing concern among farmers who rely on these crops for their livelihood. The problem has become particularly acute in recent years due to the increase in the wild boar population in…

USBRL Project On Track: Expected completion in February next year, says GM Northern Railways

May 16, 2023 Editor

Much-awaited strategically crucial Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL) project, aimed at connecting Kashmir with the rest of the country by train, will be completed in February 2024. Its only work to be finished pertained to tunnelling work of 200 m in two tunnels. As a reiteration of the announcement of the Union Railway Minister, the latest confirmation vis-à-vis the scheduled completion of prestigious project, which earlier witnessed many hiccups and skipped many deadlines due to weather and geological challenges, has come from the General Manager (GM) Northern Railways Shobhan Chaudhuri. “Most…

UN Expresses Concern: G20 Accidentally Supporting Facade of Normalcy in Kashmir

May 16, 2023May 16, 2023 Editor

Ahead of India’s G20 meeting of the working group on tourism on May 22-24, the UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues Fernand de Varennes, has warned that the government of India is seeking to normalize “what some have described as a military occupation” by instrumentalizing a G20 meeting and portray it as an international “seal of approval”. “Human rights violations have risen dramatically in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir since 2019 when the Government of India revoked the special status of the region”, Varennes warned in a statement. The G20 is…

Breakthrough Arrest: Two Hizbul Militants apprehended 33 Years after the assassination of Mirwaiz Farooq in Kashmir

May 16, 2023 Editor

Thirty three years after the killing of top Kashmiri separatist, Mirwaiz Moulvi Mohammad Farooq, police on Tuesday arrested two Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists in the case. In a rare press conference, Jammu And Kashmir’s intelligence chief said the terrorists on the run were arrested by the State Intelligence Agency and handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). “Long arm of the law finally catches up with two absconding accused. They are being handed over to CBI,” said Rashmi Ranjan Swain, Special Director General of police, CID J&K. Mr Swain…