General News Archives | Page 93 of 361

J&K’s Power Crisis: Why is the Region Still Relying on External Power Sources Despite Hydropower Potential?

October 15, 2023 Editor

J&K’s Hydropower Riches: Why is the Region Still Spending Billions on Power Purchases? Jammu and Kashmir’s over-reliance on external power sources has incurred a substantial cost of Rs 63,000 crore over the past 11 years. This hefty expenditure on power purchases from external generation companies (gencos) underlines the ongoing energy challenge in the region, despite its substantial hydropower potential. Official data reveals that from the fiscal year 2012-13 to 2022-23, the power purchase bills from external power distribution companies (discoms) have reached a cumulative total of Rs 63,000 crore. In…

Kashmir’s Power Woes: KPDCL’s Curtailment Plan to Cause Disruption to Businesses and Households

October 15, 2023 Editor

Kashmir Braces for Lengthy Power Cuts as Demand Surges Amid Chilly Weather As the Kashmir valley grapples with a persistent and escalating power crisis, the Kashmir Power Development Corporation Limited (KPDCL) has introduced a curtailment schedule to manage the growing gap between power supply and demand. The decision to implement power cuts ranging from 4 to 8 hours a day comes as a response to increasing electricity consumption, especially during the cold weather when heating devices and other electrical items are in high demand. Despite power shortages being a common…

Inflation hits consumers hard as vegetable and fruit prices skyrocket

October 14, 2023 Editor

The consumers in Kashmir are facing a financial strain due to the soaring prices of essential commodities, including fruits, vegetables, and poultry. A market survey conducted by Kashmir InFocus found that potatoes, tomatoes, onions, cauliflower, collard greens, peas, beans, and other vegetables are being sold at higher rates than those prescribed by the Directorate of Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA). Similarly, fruits like oranges, pineapples, kiwis, pomegranates, grapes, and papayas are being sold at exorbitant rates. At some places in Srinagar, 1 kg of grapes can cost Rs…

Crackdown in Kashmir: Mirwaiz under house arrest, Friday prayers banned at Srinagar mosque

October 14, 2023 Editor

Kashmiris have often expressed solidarity with Palestinians and have protested in Srinagar around Jamia Masjid against Israel’s actions in Palestine Authorities in Kashmir did not allow Friday prayers at Jamia Masjid in Srinagar and put its chief priest Mirwaiz Umar Farooq under house detention, the managing body of the mosque said on Friday. The Anjuman Auqaf Jamia Masjid, which manages the grand mosque in Srinagar’s old city, said the police closed the gates of the mosque and informed devotees that the Friday prayers will not be allowed today. “Mirwaiz-i-Kashmir Molvi…

Pro-Palestine Protests held in Kashmir, Authorities Bar Prayers in Jamia Masjid

October 14, 2023 Editor

Protests in Kashmir for Palestine, Authorities Bar Prayers in Jamia Masjid

“The history has witnessed that no tyrant lasts for long, and the people do not stay oppressed forever. It is a lesson no one should forget, and I am sure God’s help will come soon,” a pro-Palestine supporter said. Scores of Kashmiri Muslims held a demonstration in central Kashmir’s Budgam district following the congregational Friday prayers in support of Palestinians amid the ongoing attack on the Gaza Strip by Israeli authorities. The protesters raised slogans against the state of Israel and the US, accusing them of carrying out unjust violence…

Widespread rain and snowfall likely in J&K from tomorrow

October 13, 2023 Editor

The J&K office of MeT said that the weather was mainly clear on Thursday but will become cloudy towards Friday evening with possibility of rain and snowfall over higher reaches during the night at scattered places of J&K Srinagar Jammu and Kashmir will be hit by consecutive Western Disturbances which will bring widespread rains and snowfall between October 14 and 18, the MeT department said on Thursday. The J&K office of MeT said that the weather was mainly clear on Thursday but will become cloudy towards Friday evening with possibility…

Rohingya Immigrants Under Scrutiny for Document Forging, Raising National Security Concerns

October 10, 2023 Editor

Rohingya immigrants residing in Jammu and Kashmir are facing scrutiny as some have been discovered in possession of Indian identification documents, notably Aadhaar cards and domicile certificates, reported The Tribune. While a substantial population of Rohingya resides in the Jammu division, a significant portion of them remains unregistered and resides in the region unlawfully. These immigrants have established settlements across various parts of the Jammu division, including remote districts like Kishtwar and Poonch. Presently, the police have initiated a verification process for the credentials of all such refugees, focusing particularly…

Omar Abdullah asks EC to explain delay in J&K polls, calls it ‘Denial of Democratic Rights’

October 10, 2023 Editor

National Conference’s victory in the Kargil hill council polls would only ‘further delay elections’, Omar Abdullah predicts The National Conference (NC) on Monday questioned the Election Commission (EC) decision to delay elections in J&K, as the party described the Kargil hill council results as “a verdict against the Centre’s move made on August 5, 2019 to bifurcate J&K”. “The ECI, when questioned about J&K elections, suggested it was “considering all factors”. What are the factors? It’s the fear factor of the BJP. It’s unfortunate, the ECI, which is a free…

Mehbooba Mufti accuses BJP of creating an army of Godses, says India needs another Gandhi

October 7, 2023 Editor

The country could not produce another Mahatma Gandhi in the last 75 years, but the BJP made many Nathuram Godses in the last decade, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti said on Friday. Mufti was replying to a volley of questions about BJP’s poster portraying Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as a ‘new age Ravan’. Speaking to reporters here, Mufti said that any person who would have put out a similar poster showing a BJP leader would have been “jailed immediately without any case or investigation” and would also be denied bail. In…

J&K Property Tax: Government bows to pressure, defers rollout

October 7, 2023October 7, 2023 Editor

Property Tax Imposition in Jammu and Kashmir Put on Hold Amidst Opposition Pressure In response to mounting pressure from both opposition parties and members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the administration of Jammu and Kashmir has decided to delay the implementation of a property tax in the Union Territory. This decision is being viewed as a response to the upcoming urban local bodies’ (ULB) elections expected later this year and the Lok Sabha elections scheduled for the following year. The property tax, which was initially set to take…