Day: April 7, 2025

A significant forest fire broke out in the woods of Manzgam Noorabad in Kulgam district on Monday, adding to a growing list of blazes reported across South Kashmir. Over the past seven days, forest fires have been reported in multiple areas across the region, with officials confirming that approximately 60 hectares of forest land have been destroyed. Authorities have deployed ground teams to contain the fires and are urging residents to report any sightings of smoke or flames without delay. According to officials, 20 separate fire incidents have occurred in the districts of Anantnag, Shopian, Kulgam, and Pulwama in the past week, impacting vast stretches of green cover. Simultaneously, on Monday fires continued to rage across the Tral-Khrew range in Pulwama, with blazes reported from B...

Cyber Police Kashmir has busted a network of mule bank accounts used in major cyber frauds, booking 21 people, 19 from Srinagar, after the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (i4C) flagged 7,200 such accounts in Kashmir. Spokesperson in a statement issued here to news agency JKNS reads, a mule bank account is an account used to receive and transfer illicit funds on behalf of others, often in return for a commission. These accounts—belonging to individuals, shell companies, and enterprises—are primarily scouted through social media platforms such as Telegram and Facebook, and are then remotely controlled by fraudsters operating from outside Jammu Kashmir and even from overseas. Once these accounts are set up, they are integrated into illegal payment gateways and used by criminal sy...

The Srinagar Smart City initiative has spent over Rs 13 crore on a public bicycle sharing scheme and dedicated cycle tracks, yet the project has generated a mere Rs 4.48 lakh in revenue since its launch in May 2023. Rs 9.06 crore was used to build cycle tracks in Batamaloo, Hazratbal, and Lal Chowk, while an additional Rs 4.14 crore was allocated as viability gap funding to a private firm running the bike-sharing service under a five-year contract. So far, Rs 1.2 crore of this funding has been disbursed. Despite this significant public expenditure, the network of 900 bicycles and 100 docking stations has failed to attract meaningful public participation. Docking stations are concentrated in upscale areas like Lal Chowk, Dal Gate, and Hazratbal, locations that cater more to aesthetics...

A major uproar broke out during the discussion on the Waqf Amendment Bill 2025 in the legislative assembly, with opposition members, led by MLA Kreeri Wagoora Irfan Hafiz Lone, accusing BJP legislators of "gundagardi" (hooliganism) and disrupting democratic discourse. The protests began when Irfan, while addressing the House, raised slogans condemning the bill and linked it to broader issues of religious autonomy and constitutional values. Irfan was heard shouting slogans like “Nathuram Godse Murdabad” and “Bapu ke qatil Murdabad” while opposing the bill, arguing that the amendment undermines the religious rights of the Muslim community. "We were talking about Bapu, about the Constitution. We clearly said the Waqf Amendment 2025 is unacceptable and no one can tolerate it. When I said th...

Secretary of the Jammu Kashmir Legislative Assembly, Manoj Kumar Pandit, on Monday informed the House that three important bills passed by the Assembly have received the assent of the Lieutenant Governor on March 25, 2025. While addressing the House, the Secretary said, "Three Bills, passed by Legislative Assembly, have been assented to by the Lieutenant Governor on the 25th of March, 2025. The Bills include The Jammu and Kashmir Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2025 (L.A. Bill No. 1 of 2025), The Jammu and Kashmir Appropriation Bill, 2025 (L.A. Bill No. 2 of 2025), and The Jammu and Kashmir Appropriation Bill, 2025 (L.A. Bill No. 3 of 2025)." The Jammu  Kashmir Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2025, seeks to bring the Union Territory’s GST framework in line with rece...

Another separatist leader, Bashir Ahmad Andrabi, son of Mohammad Amin Andrabi and Chairman of the Kashmir Freedom Front (KFF), has publicly disassociated himself and his organization from the separatist camp in Jammu Kashmir. In a signed public declaration, Andrabi announced that neither he nor his group maintains any ties with the All Parties Hurriyat Conference—whether its Geelani (G) or Mirwaiz (M) faction—or with any other separatist outfit. He stated that the ideology espoused by the Hurriyat had failed to address the genuine aspirations and grievances of the people of Jammu Kashmir. Andrabi further emphasized that any unauthorized use of his or his organization’s name in connection with the Hurriyat or similar groups would invite legal action. His statement marks a clear and...