REGIONAL

In order to decrease the intensity of accidents in Jammu, SSP traffic Jammu has issued an order saying that no fuel will be issued to the motorists without crash helmets and seat belts at the petrol pumps in the Jammu city. An official communique received by The Kashmiriyat in this regard have been sent to the oil companies-Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) by Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Traffic Jammu City Shiv Kumar Sharma. According to the communique, the petrol pumps will be of immense help if they extend support and cooperation to Traffic Police for generating awareness among the general public about the importance of crash helmets and seat belts. "The working parties ...

The vehicular movement has been suspended for the 12th consecutive day on Saturday on the Srinagar- Leh road. The highway was closed for traffic on 6 December following heavy snowfall particularly at Zojila, Meenmarg, Sonamarg, Matayan, Zero Point and other adjacent areas. Sources said that hundreds of vehicles are stranded on both sides of the highway for the past twelve days. A traffic police official said that number of vehicles from Sonamarg was brought back to Gagangeer. He said that due to freezing temperatures in Sonamarg, the drivers were facing a lot of difficulties, after which the vehicles had to be returned to Gagangeer. The official said that due to strong winds at Zojila pass, three feet of snow has accumulated on the road while Border Road Organization is faci...

The eighth and last phase of District Development Council (DDC) elections 2020 recorded a voter percentage of 26.07% across different districts of Jammu and Kashmir till 11:00 am today. As per the figures given by the office of State Election Commissioner, in Kashmir Division, Pulwama has recorded a voting percentage of 4.35%, Baramulla 25.56%, Kulgam 4.66%, Shopian 3.79%, Anantnag 4.63%, Bandipora 30.77%, Kupwara 33.43% and Budgam 19.10% till 11:00 am. Similarly, in Jammu division, Kishtwar has recorded a voting percentage of 34.15%, Udhampur 24.56%, Jammu 36.64%, Kathua 34.45%, Ramban 36.14%, Doda 34.02%, Samba 42.01%, Poonch 43.88%, Rajouri 40.68% and Reasi 41.87% till 11:00 am. Moreover, it was informed that the Kashmir Division recorded an overall polling percentage of 16.08%...

Uncertainty looms large over the appointment of Zubair Iqbal as JK Bank’s first Managing Director as Reserve Bank of India (RBI) drags its feet over sending clearance for his appointment even after a six-month delay. In May this year, J&K administration appointed Zubair as a full-fledged first Managing Director of J&K Bank after a rigorous process of selection overseen by a high level 3 member committee under chairmanship of Mr. Tapan Ray, Ex Union Corporate Affairs Secretary, Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta, Financial Commissioner, J&K, Mr. Anand Madhukar, OSD in Deptt. of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance, (GoI). Earlier, Zubair had served JK Bank for 15 years in different critical assignments and was Heading Marketing & Research Cell at the time of switching to HDFC ban...

As many as 250 MBBS students on Friday morning staged a protest in the premises of SKIMS Medical College Srinagar against the administration for not taking concrete steps to commence the clinical classes and forcing students to face hardships. The students from 10:00 am assembled within the premises of SKIMS Srinagar to register their protest and press for their demands. The protesting MBBS students told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that for the past over six months not a single clinical class was held nor the administration has vacated the designated covid staff from hostels. They said that the protest was organized against the administration who for the past six months have kept them away from the classrooms deliberately. The Covid staff has been accommodated a...

Mubashir Naik A Government employee was arrested and a pistol and ammunition was seized from him in Rajouri district on Thursday. Senior Superintendent of Police, Rajouri, Chandan Kohli said that one Jasvinder Singh’s car met with an accident at Chatta Siot but when a police team reached there to help but the concerned started running. However, Singh was detained by police after a chase and a pistol and six bullets of 7.65 mm calibre were seized from him. Singh, who works at the Jammu Kashmir Animal husbandry department, is from Nonial Nowshera and he has been arrested, police said. A case under relevant sections of the law for carrying an illegal weapon has been registered with further investigation into the matter going on.

A cold wave continued in the Kashmir Valley and the Ladakh region on Sunday as the weather office said the same weather conditions were likely to prevail for two or three more days. Cold wave continued to sweep parts of J&K and Ladakh on Friday with Jammu recording season's coldest night at 2.8°C and the Drass town remaining frozen at minus 28.5°C. "Light rain/snow is likely in J&K and Ladakh on December 21-22, but the present cold wave condition is expected to continue during the next two to three days. "No major snowfall is expected in J&K and Ladakh till December 31", an official of the MET department said. Encouragingly for the local tourist industry, all hotels and huts in Gulmarg are completely sold out to new year enthusiasts where the minimum temperature was...

The Jammu Kashmir Police claimed to have made a major breakthrough in the murder case of renowened Human Rights lawyer, Syed Babar Qadri and said the order to assassinate the lawyer came from the Central Jail of Srinagar. Earlier, the Jammu Kashmir Police had arrested three persons in the case, who as per the Police, said that the order for his assassination September 24 came from 'central jail, Srinagar.' The Investigation by Jammu Kashmir Police's Special team has found that two individuals named Muneer Aziz War alias Qari, son of one Abdul Aziz War of Hutmulla area in Kupwara and Tawseef Ahmed Shah son of Ghulam Mohammad Shah of Parimpora area in Srinagar passed orders from inside the central jail to the three to murder Babar Qadri. The two individuals, who have been taken into...

Two youth have gone missing from uptown are of Natipora in central Kashmir’s Srinagar district, the family members of the duo have said. Two missing youth have been identified as Irfan Ahmad Sofi Son of Nazir Ahmad Sofi and Bilal Manzoor Bhat Son of Manzoor Ahmad Bhat both residents of Natipora Srinagar, Kashmir Dot Com (KDC) reported. Irfan is a driver and Bilal is a shopkeeper by profession, both are neighbors. Family members of both the missing youth told news agency KDC that on 14th December, when militants shot dead a Personal Security Officer (PSO) of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Haji Parvaiz, on the same evening their sons went missing from their homes sparking fears of them having joined militant ranks. We have registered missing reports in Police post-Chanapor...

The elections for the seventh phase of the District Development Council (DDC) elections in Jammu Kashmir are currently underway. Polling for 31 DDC seats, 13 in the Kashmir division and 18 in the Jammu division began on Wednesday at 7 am. As per official figures, More than six lakh voters will decide the fate of 298 candidates including 72 women contesting in the seventh phase of the DDC elections in Jammu Kashmir. Nearly 6.87 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise at 1,852 polling stations. Besides the DDC elections, polling is also being held for panch and sarpach posts in the Union Territory. As per the figures given by the office of State Election Commissioner, in Kashmir Division, Pulwama has recorded voting percentage of 9.37%, Baramulla 49.50%, Kulgam 14...