Page 12 - Jammu And Kashmir

Amit Shah visits flood-hit areas of Jammu to assess damage, relief efforts

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday visited the flood-hit areas of Jammu, officials said. He will also visit Manguchak, the worst-hit village of the district. Accompanied by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Shah stopped on the Tawi bridge near Bikram Chowk and inspected the damage along the riverbanks. Shah had reached Jammu on Sunday night to assess the flood situation and the relief efforts. He is likely to undertake an aerial survey of the flood-hit areas later in the day. He will also chair two separate meetings at Raj Bhawan on flood relief and the damage caused to the border security grid by the flash floods, officials said. More than 130 people have been killed and 33 have gone missing in cloudbursts, landslides and flash floods in Kishtwar, Kathua, Reasi, and Ramban districts since August 14. Record rainfall during August 26-27 caused flash floods in low-lying areas in Jammu and other plains, causing heavy damage to infrastructure. The dead

Army foils terrorist infiltration attempt along LoC in J-K's Poonch

The Indian Army troops on Monday scuttled an infiltration bid by terrorists along the Line of Control (LoC) in Mendhar Sector of Poonch district, officials said. Troops guarding the border noticed a group of terrorists trying to sneak into the country from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, they said. The movement was noticed near Dabbi village of Balakote area in the early hours of the day. Heavy gunfire was exchanged between the two sides. There was no immediate report of any casualty on either side. The whole area has been cordoned off, and a massive search operation is underway, officials said.

J&K CM Omar directs timely evacuation of people from risk-prone zones

Amid inclement weather prevailing in Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday directed officials to ensure round-the-clock monitoring and carry out timely evacuation of residents from risk-prone zones. The statement comes in the aftermath of two fresh incidents of cloudburst and landslide in Ramban and Reasi districts that left 11 persons, including seven members of a family, dead and one person missing. The chief minister expressed sorrow over the tragic deaths. While four people of a family lost their lives and one person went missing at Rajgarh in Ramban, a couple and their five children were buried alive in a landslide at Badder village in Mahore area of Reasi district. Taking note of the continuous heavy rains, the chief minister appealed to people to remain alert, avoid vulnerable areas, and strictly adhere to safety advisories. "He has directed the district administration and disaster management authorities to remain on the ground, ensure round-the-clock .

Four dead as cloudburst hits village in J&K's Ramban, rescue operation on

Three people died while two others are missing after a cloudburst struck a remote village in Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district, officials said on Saturday. The cloudburst triggered flash floods in the mountainous Rajgarh, located about 25 kilometres from the district headquarters, early on Saturday morning, they said. Rescuers have found the bodies of three people, including two women, who were washed away by the floods, officials said.

Seven members of family killed as landslide flattens house in J&K's Reasi

Seven members of a family were killed when a landslide struck a house in a remote village in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir early on Saturday, officials said. The landslide was triggered by heavy rains in Badder village of Mahore, and all seven bodies have been recovered, the officials said. The deceased have been identified as Nazir Ahmad (38), his wife Wazira Begum (35) and their sons Bilal Ahmed (13), Mohd Mustafa (11), Mohd Adil (8), Mohd Mubarak (6) and Mohd Wasim (5). Officials said Nazir and his family were asleep when their house on a hill slope came under the debris brought down by the landslide, burying them alive. The locals frantically searched the debris and were later joined by police, but only managed to pull out the bodies. Moderate to heavy rains lashed wide parts of Jammu and Kashmir overnight.

Jammu floods: Heavy rains submerge areas, Tawi river washes away road

A portion of the road along the fourth Tawi bridge has been washed away in the floods following incessant heavy rainfall

2 terrorists killed as Army foils infiltration bid in J&K's Gurez sector

A joint operation by the Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police was launched following intelligence reports of a likely infiltration attempt

Rain likely in Delhi as Punjab battles floods, J&K hit by record showers

IMD predicts cloudy skies with rain in Delhi till Sept 1 as Yamuna crosses danger mark, Punjab villages inundated, and J&K records heaviest rainfall in 52 years

Jammu & Kashmir death toll rises to 41 as Jhelum floods Srinagar, Anantnag

After record rains wreaked havoc in Jammu and Kashmir over the past two days, the death toll in related incidents rose to 41, most of them victims of the landslide on a Vaishno Devi pilgrimage route, while there was some let-up in the showers on Wednesday, allowing relief efforts to pick up pace. The water level in the swollen rivers across Jammu showed signs of receding from 11 AM, but the flood alert mark was breached by the Jhelum in Anantnag and Srinagar and water entered several residential and commercial areas. Massive damage has been reported to public infrastructure, including several key bridges, private houses and commercial establishments, due to overflowing of water bodies and flash floods across the Union Territory, officials said, adding more than 10,000 people have been evacuated from low-lying flooded areas. As torrential rains disrupted normal life, Education Minister Sakina Itoo announced that all educational institutes will remain closed across Jammu and Kashmir o

J&K Bank names veteran banker S Krishnan as non-executive chairman

J&K Bank on Wednesday said its board has approved the appointment of S Krishnan as non-executive chairman of the bank for a period up to March 26, 2028. His appointment would be effective from the date of approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), J&K Bank said in a regulatory filing. The bank's board, in its meeting held on August 25, took the decision in this respect, it said. Krishnan, currently an independent director on the board of Srinagar-headquartered bank, served as MD & CEO of state-owned Punjab & Sind Bank. Subsequent to superannuation and pursuant to the approval of the appointment by the RBI, Krishnan took charge as MD & CEO of Tamilnad Mercantile Bank in September 2022. Krishnan, a veteran banker with more than four decades of experience, is a postgraduate in Commerce and a qualified Cost Accountant.

PM Modi condoles loss of lives in Vaishno Devi landslide, toll hits 32

The death toll in the Vaishno Devi landslide has gone up to 32, officials said on Wednesday, a day after disaster struck the route on the hilltop shrine in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district. At least 20 people were injured in the landslide triggered by heavy, relentless rain, the officials said. The pilgrimage to the shrine was suspended when the mountainside literally gave way and stones, boulders and rocks came hurtling down around 3 pm on Tuesday, catching people unawares. The landslide struck at a point about halfway along the winding 12-km trek from Katra to the shrine. There are two routes up to the shrine -- while the yatra had been suspended on the Himkoti trek route since morning, it was going on on the old route till 1.30 pm when authorities decided to suspend it till further orders in view of the torrential rain.

Centre asks all telcos to activate intra-circle roaming in J&K till Sept 2

The Centre has asked all the telecom service providers to immediately activate the intra-circle roaming (ICR) facility in Jammu and Kashmir till September 2, an official communication said. The directive has been passed to the regulatory heads of Bharti Airtel, BSNL, Reliance-Jio and Vodafone-ldea amid a collapse of telecom services in large parts of J-K, leading to a large number of people being cut off as relentless rain for the fourth day caused flood-like situation in the Jammu division. "In view of the prevailing situations due to heavy rainfall and multiple landslides in Jammu and Kashmir, and in accordance with Clause 29.6 of the unified licence and as per the provisions of SOP 2020 for responding to disasters, all telecom service providers are hereby instructed to activate the intra-circle roaming facility for the J-K Union Territory with immediate effect till 23:59 hours of September 2, or till further instructions, whichever is earlier," the disaster management unit of the

Train services restored from Jammu after suspension due to heavy rain

Train services were restored from Jammu on Wednesday after a day-long suspension, with six trains scheduled to leave for their destinations, officials said. Northern Railway on Tuesday night announced the cancellation of 22 incoming and outgoing trains from Jammu and Katra railway stations, while 27 trains were short-terminated at various stations in the division due to heavy rain that lashed the region. Train services have been restored from Jammu. Six trains, which were either cancelled or short-terminated, will leave for their destinations today, a railway official said. According to the PRO of Jammu Division, the six restored trains include three that were earlier cancelled and three that were short-terminated at different stations. The trains scheduled to depart from Jammu are Jammu Tawi-Kamakhya Express, Jammu-Sambalpur, Jammu-Ambedkar Nagar, Jammu-Varanasi, Jammu-Bandra, and Jammu-Chhapra. On Tuesday, Northern Railway cancelled 18 trains to and from Katra, Udhampur and ...

Rain mayhem in J&K: 13 dead, including 9 in landslide on Vaishno Devi route

Rivers overflowed, the raging waters flattening everything in their way, and boulders, trees and rocks hurtled down slopes across Jammu region on Tuesday, killing at least 13 people, including nine pilgrims struck by a landslide on the Vaishno Devi route. Relentless heavy rain led to havoc not just in Jammu, which saw flashfloods, landslides and the pilgrimage to the Vaishno Devi shrine being suspended, but also in Kashmir Valley. Infrastructure was severely damaged with bridges collapsing and mobile towers and electricity poles breaking like virtual twigs. Telecom services collapsed in large parts of the union territory, leading to millions being cut off from communication and escalating problems, officials said. Traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar and Kishtwar-Doda national highways was suspended and dozens of hill roads were blocked or damaged by landslides or flashfloods, they said. Many trains to and from Jammu were cancelled. The winding route to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine atop

Rain mayhem in J&K: 11 dead, including 7 in landslide on Vaishno Devi route

Rivers overflowed, the raging waters flattening everything in their way, and boulders, trees and rocks hurtled down slopes across Jammu region on Tuesday, killing at least 11 people, including seven pilgrims struck by a landslide on the Vaishno Devi route. Relentless heavy rain led to havoc not just in Jammu, which saw flashfloods, landslides and the pilgrimage to the Vaishno Devi shrine being suspended, but also in Kashmir Valley. Infrastructure was severely damaged with bridges collapsing and mobile towers and electricity poles breaking like virtual twigs. Telecom services collapsed in large parts of the union territory, leading to millions being cut off from communication and escalating problems, officials said. Traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar and Kishtwar-Doda national highways was suspended and dozens of hill roads were blocked or damaged by landslides or flashfloods, they said. Many trains to and from Jammu were cancelled. The winding route to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine atop

J&K CM reviews flood mitigation measures, says situation in Jammu serious

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said the situation in various parts of Jammu is quite serious following heavy rain and directed the administration to maintain high alert. The chief minister gave the instructions at a meeting held here to take stock of flood control measures in Jammu, his office said in a post on X. Moderate to heavy rain lashed Jammu division for the third consecutive day on Tuesday. Almost all rivers and streams are flowing above or close to the danger mark, submerging a number of low-lying areas and roads in the city and elsewhere. Vehicular movement on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway has been suspended. "Chief Minister held a meeting today in the morning to review flood mitigation measures at Jammu in view of incessant rains. He directed the officers to maintain high alert and take all necessary measures," the chief minister's office said. In a separate post on his personal handle on X, Abdullah said the situation in many parts of Jammu is quite ...

Hope SC sets deadline for restoration of statehood to J-K: CM Omar

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday expressed hope that the Supreme Court will set a deadline on the restoration of statehood to the Union territory after it hears the case in October. The apex court on Monday refused to advance the date of hearing on pleas seeking restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, saying the matter is already listed on October 10. "I do not know who went to the Supreme Court for an urgent hearing. We also want there should be no delay in this decision," Abdullah told reporters on the sidelines of a function here. He said his government has been after the restoration of statehood for the last ten months since the it took over. "Our first decision in the first cabinet meeting was to pass a resolution on statehood. In my first meeting with the prime minister, the first thing I did was to handover the cabinet resolution on statehood to him," he said. "We have been waiting, but we have not had any benefit. Unfortunately, the SC is no

SC refuses to advance hearing on pleas seeking J-K statehood restoration

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to advance the date of hearing on pleas seeking the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, saying the matter is already listed on October 10. On August 14, a bench headed by Chief Justice B R Gavai had sought within eight weeks the Centre's response on a separate plea seeking restoration of statehood to the union territory. I am seeking early listing of a contempt petition relating to abrogation of Article 370. Statehood was to be granted to Jammu and Kashmir, a lawyer told the bench also comprising Justice N V Anjaria. It is listed already on October 10, the CJI said on Monday while refusing to advance the date of hearing. We are in the midst of a constitutional bench hearing (the bench is hearing a presidential reference on fixing timelines for governors and the president), Justice Gavai said. While seeking the Centre's response, the bench had earlier said, "You also have to take into consideration the ground realities you cannot igno

Search operation underway after drone sightings near LoC in J&K's Poonch

Security forces have launched a search operation after around half-a-dozen drones from Pakistan were sighted hovering over several forward areas along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Monday. The movement of the drones from across the border was picked up over Balakote, Langote and Gursai nallah in Mendhar sector at 9.15 pm on Sunday, the officials said. They said the drones, believed to be launched for surveillance, were seen flying very high and returned to the Pakistani side within five minutes. However, the area was cordoned off and a search was launched with the first light of the day in several areas where the movement of the drones was picked up to ensure that there was no air dropping of weapons or narcotics, the officials said. The use of drones by Pakistan to drop weapons and narcotics has emerged as a major challenge for the security agencies over the past couple of years and accordingly, police have announced a reward

Landslide crushes petrol pump under its debris on Udhampur highway in J&K

The owner of the petrol pump, Jai Pal Singh Jamwal, claimed that this incident happened around 6:30-7 pm