REGIONAL

Barring Srinagar and Qazigund, the minimum temperature recorded a fall in Jammu and Kashmir with Gulmarg being the coldest place in the J&K at 7.0°C on Tuesday. A meteorological department official here told GNS that Srinagar recorded a low of 2.7°C against 1.8°C on the previous night. Today’s minimum temperature, he said, was above normal by 3.1°C for the summer capital. Qazigund, he said, recorded a low of 0.4°C against minus 1.6°C °C on the previous night and it was 1.9°C above normal for the gateway town of Kashmir. Pahalgam, he said, recorded a low of minus 5.9°C against minus 0.2°C on the previous night and it was 0.3°C above normal for the famous tourist resort in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district. Kokernag recorded a low of minus 0.7°C against 1.1°C on the previous ...

A man from Srinagar succumbed in the hospital after reportedly sustaining burn injuries due to the firepot (Kangri) at his home. Police have taken cognizance of the incident and are ascertaining the cause of the death. Hospital sources told news agency Kashmir News Trust that a man from the Qamarwari area of Srinagar identified as Bashir Gani Baba was brought to the SMHS hospital with critical burn injuries. The man succumbed in the hospital shortly after his arrival. Reports said that the victim sustained burn injuries after using traditional ‘kangri’ at his home. [KNT]

Sheikh Nadeem Officials in Mir Maidan Dooru "retrieved" state land at Maharaja Hara Singh road in the Dooru area of south Kashmir's Anantnag district. Headed by Tehsildar Dooru Khalid Zafar, a team of revenue officials with huge contingents of Police reached the spot on Monday morning and retrieved the "roadside" land at Dooru. The official said it was a "long-pending" demand of residents that the land which was encroached upon by locals shall be freed as it interfered in building a pathway on the roadside. "A strong message has been sent to all encroachers who have occupied and encroached upon such embankments to immediately relinquish such illegal occupations otherwise they shall be evicted at their own cost," the Tehsildar warned.

Accusing the Jammu Kashmir administration of creating homelessness, Peoples Conference President Sajad Gani Lone on Monday said that “New Delhi shouldn’t be represented by bulldozers in Kashmir, but by love and compassion.” Addressing a news conference here, as per news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Lone said the objective of the ongoing eviction drive seems humiliation of Kashmiris. “What is the objective of the government? Do they want to retrieve land or humiliate people? I think humiliation is more important for them,” he said. Lone said that the current administration in J&K is not an elected regime and should leave bigger decisions for an elected government. “(President’s Rule) It is a temporary arrangement. They cannot take decisions on behalf of the people of ...

Jammu Kashmir is generating over 51,000 tonnes of plastic waste with Kashmir producing 31,000 and Jammu over 20,000 tonnes in a year. Plastic is the general common term for a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic amorphous solid materials derived from oil and natural gas. A senior Scientist from JK Pollution Control Board told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), that 51,710.60 tons of plastic waste is being generated in JK per year. He said that Kashmir generates 31,375.60 tons plastic waste per annum while Jammu division generates 20,335 tons plastic waste per annum. He said that due to lack of proper collection and management, the 'throw away culture' of plastic results in bags finding their way in the city drainage system and thus choking the drains. He s...

A local court in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district on Monday rejected the bail plea of a former police driver for his involvement in a ‘fake encounter’ 16 years ago. Principal Sessions Judge Bandipora Amit Sharma in an order rejected the bail plea of accused police officer Farooq Ahmad Padroo, stating that bail cannot be granted to a person who has shaken the basic faith and confidence of the common man in the working of the police organization. “The accused persons involved in this FIR are none other than the police officers/officials and under the garb of the police uniform such type of 'fake encounter' was committed, definitely shaken the basic faith and confidence of the common man in the working of the police organization and the said crime committed by this accused person beco...

The District Development Commissioner, (DDC) Shopian, Sachin Kumar Vaishya today inaugurated district level Training and Orientation program for effective Implementation of 29 projects under Holistic Agriculture Development Plan (HADP) in the district at Meeting Hall of Mini-Secretariat Shopian, officials said. In an official press release, the Shopian admin said, a total of 29 training schedules are planned at the district level for the next one month, in which all technical staff of Agriculture and allied sectors will be trained by resource persons of the departments and KVK Shopian. Speaking on the occasion, DDC said that capacity-building programmes will ensure the availability of quality human resources and provide necessary ground support for the implementation of holistic agri...

A minor boy was injured after inadvertently stepping over a landmine while grazing his cattle near the LoC in Poonch district on Monday. “The victim has been identified as Mohammad Shoaib (15), son of Jamal Din, of Qasba village of Poonch district," a police official told The Kashmir Scroll. He was injured when he inadvertently stepped over the strayed landmine while grazing his goat near the LoC and it exploded suddenly. “Shoaib suffered injuries was shifted to District Hospital (DH), Poonch," they added. A senior police official confirmed the incident and said that the injured boy was later shifted to District Hospital, after he was given first aid by Army. (KS)