Friday, January 31News and updates from Kashmir

THE KASHMIRIYAT

Erratic weather forecast till May 7 in J-K

Erratic weather forecast till May 7 in J-K

REGIONAL
The meteorological department here on Sunday forecast “erratic” weather in Jammu and Kashmir May 7. “A brief spell of rain may occur in the evening at some places today, although chances are less,” a MeT official here told GNS. On May 1, he said, mainly clear weather is expected while a brief spell of rain/thunderstorm may occur at a few places towards late afternoon or evening(60% chance) . From May 2- 3, he said widespread light to moderate rain (light snow over higher reaches)//thunderstorm with hailstorm and gusty winds at few places during the period. Overall weather is very likely to remain erratic between May 2 to 7 Regarding temperature, he said, Srinagar recorded a low of 10.5°C against 7.4°C on the previous night and it was 1.2°C above normal for the summer capital...
‘Apprehend militant associates’, ADGP tells officials during  security review meeting in Anantnag

‘Apprehend militant associates’, ADGP tells officials during security review meeting in Anantnag

REGIONAL
ADGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar on Saturday held a high-level meeting at South Kashmir’s Anantnag district on NHW security special focus on the emerging threat of VBIEDs and other modes of potential militant attack. In a handout, the police said that the army’s GOC Victor Force Maj Genl Prashant Srivastava, IG CRPF Kashmir Ops Sector M S Bhatia, IG BSF Ashok Yadav, Joint Director IB, Army’s sector commanders in South Kashmir, DIGs of police, CRPF, SSB, ITBP & CID and SSsP of Anantnag, Pulwama, Kulgam and Awantipora attended the meeting. According to police spokesman, during the meeting, potential threats from militants on NHW were discussed in detail and more counter measures were decided. SOP of convey movement were also discussed and accordingly upgraded. All field officers given thei...
Irrigation canal turns into dumping site in south Kashmir; authorities unmoved

Irrigation canal turns into dumping site in south Kashmir; authorities unmoved

REGIONAL
An irrigation canal passing through Darbagh (Shopian district) and ZahidBagh (Pulwama district) has been turned into the dumping site and authorities are unmoved. Locals told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), that in 2014 floods a siphon bridge through which the water was reaching to agricultural fields got damaged and since then canal is without water. In May 2020, a pipeline was laid through to divert water of the canal to river Ranbiara, however, pipes were so narrow that just few drops of water were passed through these pipes and it worked for just a few days. The stagnant water and water of bathrooms thrown into by some locals is creating a lot of problems for passersby and there is no intervention from concerned authorities, said Gulzar Ahmad, a local resident. He ...
Kashmiri political parties condole Prakash Singh Badal’s demise

Kashmiri political parties condole Prakash Singh Badal’s demise

INDIA, REGIONAL
Parkash Singh Badal was a leader who worked for the country and fought for the truth, and his passing away is a huge jolt, National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah said here on Wednesday. The Shiromani Akali Dal patriarch, who straddled the politics of Punjab over seven decades and was chief minister five times, died on Tuesday. He was 95. “The news about Badal’s demise is very unfortunate. He was a tall leader in India. In fact, I will say that there was no leader like him. No one can forget the sacrifices he made for the country,” Farooq Abdullah told PTI. He said there is no leader in the country who is not paying tributes to Badal as “he worked (for the people) and treated everyone equally, irrespective of religion, language”. “He (Badal) worked for the country. T...
Don’t make sale, purchase or register any vehicle to minors: RTO

Don’t make sale, purchase or register any vehicle to minors: RTO

REGIONAL
Authorities in the Regional Transport office here on Friday asked all the registered dealers, officers, officials of the Motor Vehicle Department and insurance agencies not to make any sale, purchase or register any vehicle involving a minor. A circular, issued by the Office of the Regional Transport Officer (RTO), Kashmir, a copy of which lies with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), reads that it has observed that motor vehicle dealers have sold and registered motor vehicles in the name of minors, which amounts to a violation of Section 10 of the Indian Contract Act, 1872. In the circular, it is underlined that under the Indian Contract Act, 1872, any sale agreement executed with a minor is deemed void abinitio, adding that a registered motor vehicle along with its registe...
‘Tip of iceberg’: Human trafficking increased by nearly 16 per cent in J-K

‘Tip of iceberg’: Human trafficking increased by nearly 16 per cent in J-K

REGIONAL
The National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Rekha Sharma on Thursday said human trafficking increased by 15.56 percent in Jammu Kashmir last year as compared to the 2021-22 financial year but it is “just the tip of an iceberg”. “In the last few years, we have seen in Kashmir also that women are getting targeted. The NCRB data shows that it has increased 15.56 per cent last year compared to 2021-22. And this is just the tip of the iceberg because the data does not give the true picture,” Sharma told PTI, ahead of the anti-human trafficking workshop organised by the NCW. Sharma said the purpose of holding the workshop in Kashmir was to make people aware of the menace of human trafficking. “We must now work to save our daughters and our children. This is the main purpose of ...
Man dies after tree falls on him in Tral

Man dies after tree falls on him in Tral

REGIONAL
A 42-year-old man died after a tree he was cutting fell on him in Pinglish village of Tral in south Kashmir's Pulwama district on Thursday. An official told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that the man identified as Ab Salam Yaoo (42) of Sheerabad Tral was injured when a tree fell on him. He said he was subsequently rushed to a nearby health facility, where he was declared dead on arrival—(KNO)
400 kanals of wetland encroached in Kashmir

400 kanals of wetland encroached in Kashmir

REGIONAL
Wetlands comprising over 400 kanals have been encroached by land grabbers in Kashmir Valley. Despite sending scores of eviction notices, and registering police cases, the Wetlands Division of Wildlife Department Kashmir has miserably failed to retrieve the encroached land. The official data as per the news agency Kashmir News Trust presents a dismal picture with regard to the conservation of wetlands in Kashmir Valley. There are 8 wetlands under the administrative control of Wetlands Central Division Srinagar. They are Hokersar, Hygam, Shalbugh, Mirgund, Chatlum, Fashkoori, Kranchoo and Manibugh. Some of the famous wetlands across Kashmir Valley are Hokersar (Srinagar/Budgam), Hygam (Baramulla), Shallbugh (Ganderbal/Srinagar), Mirgund (Baramulla- Budgam), Manibugh, Kranchoo, Chat...
Rains relent, Mercury drops below normal in J-K

Rains relent, Mercury drops below normal in J-K

REGIONAL
Amid decrease in precipitation and forecast for scattered to fairly widespread light rain and thunderstorm in next 24 hours, the minimum temperature recorded a drop in Jammu and Kashmir below normal on Friday. A meteorological department official here told GNS that “mainly dry weather to isolated very light rain and thunderstorm” was expected during two subsequent days. While there was improvement in rainfall activity, in the last 24 hours till 0830 hours this morning, Srinagar received 0.7mm of rain, Qazigund 14.6mm, Pahalgam 9.0mm, Kokernag 3.2mm, Gulmarg 8.6mm, Jammu 7.4mm, Banihal 5.0mm, Batote 6.2mm, Bhaderwah 8.4mm, Katra 13.0mm, and Kathua 1.6mm. Regarding temperature, the MeT official said that Srinagar recorded a low of 6.2°C against 7.9°C on the previous night and it was...
Eid prayers to be held in Jamia Masjid instead of Eidgah due to inclement weather, waterlogging: Anjuman Auqaf

Eid prayers to be held in Jamia Masjid instead of Eidgah due to inclement weather, waterlogging: Anjuman Auqaf

REGIONAL
Anjuman Auqaf Jama Masjid Srinagar on Thursday announced that due to inclement weather and waterlogging at historic Eidgah Srinagar, Eid-ul-Fitr prayer will be held at 9:00 at Jama Masjid Srinagar, instead of Eidgah Srinagar. In a handout to GNS, the Anjuman Auqaf urged Muslims to pay Sadaqah Fitr, which is fixed at Rs 65 per person, before Eid prayer so that deserving people also join Eid festivities . The Anjuman once again strongly demanded unconditional release of its detained head Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir Dr Moulvi Muhammad Umar Farooq before Eid, reads the statement.(GNS)