Mehbooba accuses Army of Forced Labour in South Kashmir Village, Army Denies Charge

Mehbooba accuses Army of Forced Labour in South Kashmir Village, Army Denies Charge

Mehbooba Mufti, in a post on X, said the residents of Kanslo Kanda area in Kulgam were being summoned and harassed by a camp of Army’s 9 Rashtriya Rifles Former J&K chief minister and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday accused the army of forcing young men to do labour without payment in a south Kashmir village in Kulgam. However, the army has denied the allegations. Mehbooba Mufti, in a post on X, said the residents of Kanslo Kanda area in Kulgam were being summoned and harassed…

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Kashmir Faces Power Shortage as Dry Spell Reduces Hydropower Output

Kashmir Faces Power Shortage as Dry Spell Reduces Hydropower Output

With prolonged dry spell leading to the reduction in water level in most of the water bodies across the Valley, the Kashmir-based power houses are generating less electricity, prompting the government to go ahead with power curtailment, causing immense hardships to the people. Pertinently, August and September—2023 has recorded deficient rainfall while the hot and humid weather conditions continued for weeks together, breaking the decades old record in the month of September. The hot and humid weather conditions resulted in reduction in water level in the famous water bodies including…

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Police arrest 10 for trying to create unrest outside Srinagar mosque

Police arrest 10 for trying to create unrest outside Srinagar mosque

Taking strong note of trying to vitiate the peaceful atmosphere at Jamia Masjid Srinagar on Friday, Police detained 10 persons and appealed to the people not to indulge in such acts. Police said that these persons would be booked under the relevant sections of the law. “Ten hooligans were arrested for trying to vitiate the peaceful atmosphere outside Jamia Masjid after Friday prayers. They will be booked under the relevant sections of the law. People are requested not to indulge in such acts, failing which law will take its course,”…

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Mirwaiz Umar Farooq’s house arrest: High Court issues notice to J&K administration

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq's house arrest: High Court issues notice to J&K administration

Court gives four weeks’ time to the administration to file its response The Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Friday issued a notice to the Manoj Sinha led administration seeking its response on a petition filed by Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq over his house arrest since August 2019. Mirwaiz’s lawyer, Nazir Ahmad Ronga said the court has given four weeks’ time to the administration to file its response, PTI reported. The Hurriyat leader filed a writ petition in the high court “seeking an order, or direction upon the…

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Kashmir Water Crisis deepens amidst persistent Dry Spell and Scorching Heat

Kashmir Water Crisis deepens amidst persistent Dry Spell and Scorching Heat

Despite some light rainfall in parts of Kashmir on Friday, the heat wave continued at isolated places, according to the Meteorological Department (MeT). Director MeT Sonum Lotus said that the maximum temperature remained normal in Jammu region, but isolated places in Kashmir continued to experience heat wave conditions. Lotus added that there is a possibility of light rainfall at isolated to scattered places of Jammu and Kashmir during the next two days. However, he said that there is no forecast of any major respite from the prevalent weather conditions for…

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Detention of two clerics in Kashmir quashed by High Court

Detention of two clerics in Kashmir quashed by High Court

Jammu and Kashmir high court on Friday quashed detention of two religious clerics of Kashmir, Moulana Abdul Rashid Dawoodi and Mushtaq Ahmed Veeri. There were in house detention under the Public Safety Act since September 2022. Dawoodi, a Barelvi scholar, is head of “Tehreek e Soutul Auliya” and Veeri, who was booked under PSA in 2019 also, is a religious leader of Jamiat ahle Hadees (JaH) in Anantnag. The Bharatiya Janata Party welcomed the quashing of detention orders, while Apni Party’s Altaf Bukhari urged the administration to release Hurriyat chairperson…

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Skyrocketing poultry, vegetable prices leave consumers in lurch

Skyrocketing poultry, vegetable prices leave consumers in lurch

The exorbitant poultry and vegetable rates in Srinagar are taking a toll on the consumers. The consumers said that the sellers were overlooking government prices and selling these commodities at exorbitant rates. The consumers are decrying the failure of the authorities to keep a check on the market. The consumers in Srinagar said that selling poultry at higher rates than government-designated rates had taken a toll on them. As per the official website of the Directorate of Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA), there has been no fresh revision…

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Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Under House Arrest for 210th Consecutive Friday, Calls for Release Grow Louder

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Under House Arrest for 210th Consecutive Friday, Calls for Release Grow Louder

The prolonged house detention of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, a prominent religious figure, has sparked concern and calls for his release. Anjuman Auqaf Jama Masjid Srinagar expressed deep dissatisfaction with the authorities for keeping him under house arrest for over four years. In an official statement, the Anjuman Auqaf Jama Masjid emphasized that today marks the 210th consecutive Friday that Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has been denied the opportunity to perform his vital religious duties, such as offering Friday prayers and delivering sermons. The statement further lamented that due to his extended…

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Heat Wave Tightens Its Grip on Kashmir Valley

Heat Wave Tightens Its Grip on Kashmir Valley

Severe heat wave conditions have been consistently reported since the beginning of the summer season in Kashmir and the mercury touched 34.6 degrees Celsius in Srinagar on Tuesday. Other areas of J&K also recorded high temperatures even as the Meteorological Department predicted respite in heat wave from August 25 onwards. This year, May and June saw early and unprecedented heat conditions across J&K. May, June, and July months were the warmest. Though heat wave over large parts of north and central India is an annual phenomenon in May, the maximum temperatures in…

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Soaring Rice Prices in Kashmir Put a Strain on Households

Soaring Rice Prices in Kashmir Put a Strain on Households

The price of rice, Kashmir’s most popular food grain, has virtually doubled since the government reduced its ration allocation limit, prompting Kashmiris to endure an unprecedented rise in its pricing that is putting pressure on the consumers. A popular brand of rice used in Kashmir that was formerly sold for Rs 2500 per quintal is now marketed at Rs 4500 per quintal, the price of rice in the open market during the past five months. Similar to how locally produced rice used to cost between Rs 2500 and Rs 3000…

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