Category: Kashmir

Kashmir

Bijbehara continues to shut for third day against militant killings

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For the third consecutive day, Bijbehara area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district observed a spontaneous shutdown to mourn the death of three local Hizbul Mujahideen militants killed on Monday. According to GNS Correspondent, all the shops, commercial establishments, schools and banks were closed in Bijbehara, which is the hometown of Chief Minister Muhammad Sayeed. The shutdown also affected vehicular movement in the area. On Monday this week, three militants identified as Sartaj Ahmad Lone son of Ghulam Mohammad Lone residents of Wopzan, Bijbehara, Adil Ahmad Sheikh son of Fayaz Ahmad…

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Tragedy for Tangdhar family: 2 sons killed in nine months

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For the Sheikh family of Tangdhar in frontier Kupwara district, the death of Tanweer Ahmed Sheikh, 26, is the second tragedy in the past nine months. Tanweer was killed on Wednesday when three heavily armed Jaish-e-Mohammad militants tried to storm an Army base close to the Line of Control (LoC) in Tangdhar. His younger brother Saddam (20) was killed after being buried in a snow avalanche in March this year. Tanweer worked with a Military Engineering Service contractor in the same camp which was attacked by the three militants. On…

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Flights resume from Srinagar after 3 days

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After three days of hiatus, air traffic resumed from the Srinagar airport today, with stranded passengers, mostly tourists, heaving a sigh of relief. With improved visibility and foggy conditions easing out, almost all flights, barring two which were scheduled to operate from the Srinagar international airport, were able to either take off or land. “The flight operations resumed from the Srinagar airport today as the visibility improved considerably,” said RK Shinde, Director of the Airport Authority of India in Srinagar. He said almost all airlines which had operations at the…

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Srinagar downtown living in protests and choking pepper gas

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The signs of daily life emerge early in Srinagar’s old city, the ground zero of frequent and often violent protests, as shopkeepers assemble the merchandise and ‘harrisa’ shops serve the exquisite mutton delicacy soon after the dawn’s first light. On Monday, as fog enveloped much of the Kashmir region, it was still a pleasant morning in old city neighbourhoods as residents, mostly young men, lined up inside famed eateries for harrisa, served hot and preferred on wintry mornings. A series of bridges over the Jhelum mark a boundary and divide…

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Foggy weather affects flight movement at Srinagar airport

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Air traffic to and fro Srinagar international airport was hit for the third day running today due to foggy weather, stranding hundreds of passengers including tourists. Flight operation at the airport is suspended for the last two days due to the fog. “Air traffic remains affected for the third day today as no flight has either landed or taken off from the airport here this morning,” Director, Airport Authority of India here, R K Shinde told PTI. He said bad weather was hampering the air traffic and no clearance has…

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Traders protest ‘forced evacuation’ for Flyover construction

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Traders in the city staged a protest today accusing the Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA) of forcing them to evacuate their shops ahead of a flyover construction without proper rehabilitation. Traders staged a protest at the Hari Singh High Street this morning and demanded that they should be provided proper rehabilitation. The executing agency, ERA, was in the process of evacuating many commercial and residential properties to facilitate the ongoing construction of the longest flyover in Kashmir connecting Jahangir Chowk with Rambagh in which many shopkeepers have already been evacuated from…

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Militants attack army camp in Tangdhar

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Militants on Wednesday attacked an Army camp in Tangdhar sector near the Line of Control (LoC) using small arms and under barrel grenade launchers. No casualties have been reported so far. “There was a stand off fire from Kalsuri Ridge (in Tangdhar sector) towards an army camp this morning,” an army official said. He said there was a brief lull before the militants opened fire again, triggering off a gunbattle, which was going on till last reports came in. The official said the militants seem to be heavily armed as…

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Protest in Pampore over AIIMS site

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The highway township of Pampore, famous for the world-class saffron produced from the carevas around it, seems to have lost its sheen due to the declining production for multiple reasons and an “indifferent and apathetic” approach of the authorities over the years. The latest grouse of the people is the coalition government’s decision to select the site for establishing the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Awantipora instead of Galandhar, close to the saffron town overlooking the vast carevas producing the costliest spice. Even as the government is…

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Hizb militants laid to rest amid azadi slogans

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• Thousands attend funeral prayers in Bijbehara • Pakistani flag hoisted at CM’s ancestral house  • Day-long clashes between youth and cops Thousands of people attended the funeral prayers of three Hizbul Mujahideen militants in Bijbehara town of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district amid shutdown. The militants were killed in a gunfight with forces at Aishmuqam on Monday. After the burial of militants, violent clashes erupted in the town and continued throughout the day and angry youth hoisted Pakistani flag at Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s ancestral house. Adil Shiekh, son…

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Kashmir to reel under darkness

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Metered areas to have 3 hr power cuts, non-metered areas more: Drabu ‘T&D losses responsible for power cuts’  Kashmir will continue to face the power crisis this winter, the government said Tuesday. “There are no financial constraints but the issue is Transmission and Distribution (T&D) losses,” Minister for Finance, Haseeb Drabu said after reopening of the Kitab Ghar at M A Road in Lal Chowk, here. Against the demand of 1600 MWs of electricity in Kashmir, Power Development Department is presently supplying only 1200 MWs of electricity. “With a deficit…

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