Category: Business

Business

Gulmarg ‘Best Mountain Destination’: Survey

Editor

Gulmarg has been voted the best mountain destination in the country on the basis of an online survey conducted by a leading media group. Union Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma gave away the award at a function organised in New Delhi. Uttarakhand, West Bengal and Arunachal Pradesh were also awarded in other categories. The award for Jammu and Kashmir was received by Shahnawaz A Shah, Officer on Special Duty (Publicity) in the Tourism Department; Galib Shah, secretary, Royal Springs Golf Course, Srinagar; and Manav Gupta, secretary, Jammu Tawi golf course. Speaking…

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Govt takes Kashmir on ransom with internet curbs: KCCI

Editor

Kashmir Chamber of Commerce & Industry (Inc) has accused the state government of holding Valley’s business community on ransom by curbing internet services. KCCI, in a statement, expressed its serious concern over the methods adopted by the administration to overcome the perpetual unrest in the valley. It said the ‘curbs and crush’ method has been causing more harm to the normal activity of life than achieving any desirable result towards restoration of peace in the state. “While the unabated use of pellets and bullets here and there every now and…

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Businesses in distress due to deteriorating situation across Kashmir

Editor

Investment dries up, sales plummet, say biz community With deteriorating situation due to civilian killings and followed after protests in Kashmir, the business community here are a distressed lot, as the new investments have dried up, while sales and business transactions are witnessing downward trends. As more than 10 civilians were killed in forces action during this month leading to subsequent protests virtually leading to closure of commercial activities, the business community are apprehensive about the future business prospects, terming the situation as “gloomy”. At the same time people are…

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Bollywood stars come calling to Valley

Editor

The efforts of the government to bring Bollywood back to the Valley bore some fruit today as a film crew shot at the picturesque Tulip Garden in the foothills of the Zabarwan range. Even as schedules of several film shootings had been cancelled last year due to the unrest, the authorities say more stars were coming to the Valley in the coming days that would renew Kashmir’s Bollywood connection. “Star cast of movie ‘India Tujhe Salaam’ starring Bollywood actor Ashutosh Rana and Aarya Babbar, son of veteran star Raj Babbar,…

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Fearful election staff show up for duty after ‘Assurances, Suspension Threats’

Editor

Nearly 50 per cent of the polling staff was absconding till Wednesday afternoon in violence-hit Budgam, indicating their fear to be a part of the election process after the violence during bypoll in the Srinagar constituency on April 9. Officials deputed for the poll duty in Budgam, where repoll at 38 polling stations took place on Thursday, had not reported to their duties. However, after assurance of security and threat of suspension by the government, the officials showed up in the evening. Imran Nazir, an official, was deployed in the…

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Volatile situations created in a planned manner to hurt Kashmir economic growth: KCCI

Editor

The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI) on Wednesday claimed that volatile situations were being created in Kashmir since 2014 floods to “suppress the economic growth of the state”. In a statement, issued here today, the KCCI said that “ever since 2014 floods, situations are being created on one pretext or the other to disrupt the peace, particularly in the Valley, which result in the death, maiming and blinding of a large number of people of all age groups.” The Chamber said that “uncalled for political statements and ill-timed…

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Holding by polls in May will hit Kashmir’s peak tourist season: Tourism Inc

Editor

‘Internet blockade affecting booking’; Operators mulling to write to ECI The decision to hold deferred by polls of the Anantnag parliamentary seat on May 25 is going to hit Kashmir’s peak tourism season, tour and travel operators here believe. Election Commission of India on Monday announced that by-polls for the Anantnag seat would be re-scheduled for May 25 after violence marked the voting for Srinagar by-polls on April 9. At least 8 people were killed and scores got injured in forces firing on the Election Day Sunday. Tour and travel…

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Flood threat: Panic-stricken traders shift merchandise to safer places

Editor

Shopkeepers of markets such as Jehangir Chowk, Lambert Lane, Goni Khan, Maisuma as precautionary measures have shifted their stocks to upper storeys of the buildings. With flood threat looming large due to high water level in river Jhelum, panic-stricken businessmen and shopkeepers in city-centre areas are shifting their merchandises to safer places. Amid flood threat, shopkeepers in and around Lal Chowk since Thursday evening and Friday have been shifting their merchandise sand stocks to safer places, fearing repetition of devastating 2014-like floods. “There is a panic everywhere due to rising…

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Over 6 lakh pilgrims visited Vaishno Devi till March 11

Editor

At a review meeting held by Governor NN Vohra, who is also the chairman of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, Ajeet Kumar Sahu, board Chief Executive Officer (CEO), said that of the 6,83,032 pilgrims who offered prayers at the Vaishno Devi shrine from January 16 to March 11 this year, 1,46,535 had gone through the natural cave. The natural cave of the Vaishno Devi shrine remains open every year from around mid-January to mid-March. Around this time, the pilgrims rush is at its lowest. During this period, the…

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Bureaucratic hassles welcome foreigners at Srinagar Airport

Editor

Cumbersome registration puts tourist to inconveniences The cumbersome and lengthy process of filling registration form at Srinagar airport is putting the foreigners to lot of inconveniences. Many foreign tour operators have expressed their resentment at the tedious process of registration for the foreigners at Srinagar airport. In a complaint a tour operators from Singapore said the cumbersome process at Srinagar airport can prove detrimental for the growth of tourism in Kashmir. In the complaint, Mohammad Afandi the owner of Afandi Travel and Services Pvt Ltd. says his group of 25…

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