Category: Jammu

Jammu

Rain pours misery on city roads

Editor

With the city receiving its first rain of the season, all major roads remained chock-a-block throughout the day today. Intermittent rains lashed the winter capital since last night. The city has already been facing traffic chaos since the time of Durbar move, following which the traffic flow has increased by 40 per cent. The marriage season has also added to the woes of the commuters with roads such as Canal Road, Janipur-New Plot Road and Talab Tillo Road remaining stuck up to five hours in the evening. “A few days…

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Articles 370, 35A contravene fundamental rights: Panun Kashmir

Editor

Demanding the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A, an organisation representing displaced Kashmiri Pandits today alleged that they contravened fundamental rights enshrined in the constitution. “Panun Kashmir would like to make it very clear that Articles 370 and 35A exist in contravention of the fundamental rights guaranteed under Article 14 of the Indian Constitution,” the organisations national spokesperson Virender Raina told reporters here today. Article 370 grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir, while Article 35A empowers the state legislature to define permanent citizens. “These need to be abrogated under…

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6 killed, 12 injured in road accident in Udhampur

Editor

Six persons have been killed and 12 injured in a road accident in Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir. The accident took place late on Sunday evening in Sarori village when the driver of the bus carrying a marriage party lost control over the vehicle and it plunged into a deep gorge in Chenani area, a police officer said. Five passengers died on the spot and another succumbed in the hospital.

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Motorists give rules the go-by, fine no deterrent

Editor

The strict advisory issued by the Traffic Department last year against the use of mobile phones while driving has failed to show results. People can often be seen using mobile phones and driving without a seat belt. The advisory issued on February 16, 2016, stated that those using mobile phones while driving would be booked under Section 184 of the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988, and their driving licences would be seized and sent to the RTO concerned for suspension for not less than three months. “We keep a check on…

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Job package leaves displaced Kashmiri Hindus families divided

Editor

The much-touted Prime Minister’s employment package for displaced Kashmiri Hindus has left families divided and has disrupted the education of their children, defeating the purpose of the ambitious plan to resettle 3.5 lakh minority Hindus in their homeland. More than 2,500 youngsters have returned to the Valley since 2010 under the package, which is promoted as the biggest confidence building measure for the Pandits since 1989-90 when militancy broke out. Employees are living in makeshift camps called transit accommodation constructed at Veesu (Anantnag), Haal (Pulwama), Baramulla and multi-storey flats at…

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BJP calls for probe into all selections made by Public Service Commission

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The BJP today demanded an impartial probe into all appointments made by the Jammu and Kashmir State Public Service Commission (PSC) during last two to three years, a party spokesperson said. Claiming that candidates from Jammu region were neglected and only 10 to 20 per cent made it to the selection lists, BJP state spokesman Prof Virender Gupta said, “BJP demands that the Jammu & Kashmir government should hold an impartial enquiry into the selections made in various posts by the Public Service Commission in the last two to three…

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Muslim bodies protest against ‘Biased’ encroachment drive in Jammu

Editor

People under the banner of three Muslim bodies today staged a protest outside Jamia Masjid at Talab Khatikan here against a “biased” anti-encroachment drive and demolition of a religious school. The protest was jointly staged by Jammu Muslim Front, Jammu Muslim Youth and Muslim Development Forum against yesterday’s anti-encroachment drive by Jammu Development Authority (JDA) in Gole Gujral area of the city. “We are not against the anti-encroachment drive but fail to understand why the drive is restricted to Muslim dominated areas only,” an activist told PTI. The drive was…

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Truce violations by Pak along border highest in 7 years

Editor

Pakistan has violated the ceasefire along the International Border and the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir more than 720 times this year, the highest in the past seven years. According to the data compiled by the Union Home Ministry, Pakistani forces have violated ceasefire 724 times along the IB and the LoC till October in comparison to 449 times in 2016. As many as 12 civilians and 17 security personnel were killed in the firing from across the border till October, a home ministry official said quoting…

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West Pak refugees bear brunt of BJP infighting

Editor

West Pakistani refugees have been bearing the brunt of the infighting in the state unit of the BJP as a group within the party is apathetic towards the problems of the ‘state-less’ lot. As nearly 1.5 lakh West Pakistani refugees, living in different parts of the Jammu region, are being deprived of participating in the panchayat, local urban bodies and Assembly elections, a group within the BJP was of the opinion that there was no reason to take a tough stand for these ‘non-voters’. Highly placed sources said during the…

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In exile, Kashmiri Pandits making efforts to save Kashmiri Language

Editor

1,000 children attending workshops to learn language since 2016 In exile, the mother tongue of Kashmiri Pandits is facing a threat of extinction, but efforts by some social activists are bearing fruit as Pandit children born in Jammu are coming forward to learn Kashmiri. In the last one year, workshops teaching Kashmiri culture and traditions have seen an increased participation from Pandit children. The workshops have been focusing on children between the age group of 4 and 14. Nearly 1,000 children have taken part in the programme since 2016 when…

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