Page 37 - Jammu And Kashmir

J&K infra growth possible without removal of Article 370: Omar Abdullah

The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister acknowledged that terrorism and stone-pelting in Jammu and Kashmir have declined, attributing the improvement to changing circumstances

PM Modi to inaugurate Z-Morh tunnel in J&K today: All you need to know

Built at an altitude of 8,652 feet, the Z-Morh tunnel connects Gagangir and Sonmarg, a popular tourist destination

J&K imposes strict austerity measures, bans meetings in private hotels

Announcing a series of austerity measures to reduce expenditure for the current financial year, Jammu and Kashmir government has imposed a complete ban on holding of meetings in private hotels and discouraged conducting exhibitions outside the Union Territory. The government also banned creation of new posts and called for surrender of all posts which have remained vacant for more than two years. It also decided to regulate travel expenditure to ensure that each department's spending remains within the allocated budget. In a three-page order, Principal Secretary (Finance Department) Santosh D Vaidya said sanction is accorded to the rationalization of expenditure for fiscal prudence and economy during the current financial year 2024-25 with immediate effect. During the last quarter of the current financial year, the revenue expenditure should be limited to 30 per cent of budget allocation and in the month of March, the expenditure should be limited to 15 per cent of such allocation,

PM to inaugurate Z-Morh tunnel on Jan 13, security beefed up in Kashmir

The security forces on Sunday intensified sanitization efforts and area domination exercise in Kashmir, a day ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the valley for inauguration of the strategically important Z-Morh tunnel in Ganderbal district, officials said. The deployment of security personnel has been increased in the vulnerable areas and dozens of checkpoints have been set up at important intersections in various districts to ensure that anti-national elements are not able to move around freely, they said. The officials said that random checking and frisking of people and vehicles, including two-wheelers, has been intensified while patrolling is also taking place. "Security has been tightened near the Z-Morh tunnel. Multi-layered security arrangements have been put in place and the PM's security team, comprising the SPG personnel, has taken over the venue," they said. The prime minister is likely to address a public rally after the inauguration of the tunnel at ...

Security beefed up around Z-Morh tunnel in J&K ahead of inauguration

Security has been beefed up around the Z-Morh tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir's Ganderbal district which is likely to be thrown open by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 13, officials said on Saturday. The prime minister is likely to address a public rally after the inauguration of the tunnel in Gagangir in the Sonamarg area of the central Kashmir district, they said. The security has also been strengthened in many areas of the valley, including Srinagar. "Security has been tightened near the Z-Morh tunnel. Multi-layered security arrangements have been put in place and the PM's security team, comprising SPG personnel, has taken over the venue," the officials said. They said the venue is now off-limits for the public. Jammu and Kashmir Police, paramilitary forces and the Army are part of the security apparatus for Monday's inauguration. Extensive area domination exercises, searches and patrols are being conducted for the smooth conduct of the event, the officials said. They said

Train services between Jammu and Kashmir will start very soon: Vaishnaw

Outstanding project to build a new railway route is a testament to engineering excellence and determination, overcoming significant geographical and climatic challenges, Vaishnaw added

State Bank of India appoints Baldev Prakash as group chief risk officer

Earlier, Prakash was on deputation to Jammu and Kashmir Bank as managing director and chief executive officer, whose three-year term ended in December

Indo-Pak war veteran Havaldar Baldev Singh passes away in Rajouri at 93

Veteran soldier Havaldar (retd) Baldev Singh, who fought four wars against Pakistan, passed away at his residence in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, a defence spokesman said on Tuesday. He was 93. The revered war hero passed away due to natural causes in his hometown Naushera on Monday, the spokesman said, adding that his last rites will be performed with full military honours at his village later on Tuesday. Born on September 27, 1931, at Naunihal village, Singh was just 16 when he volunteered to join the Bal Sena Force under the leadership of Brigadier Usman, Commander of the 50 Para Brigade, during the battle of Naushera and Jhangar in 1947-48. The Bal Sena, a group of local boys aged 12 to 16, served as despatch runners for the Indian Army in the critical moments of these battles. In recognition of their bravery, the then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru honoured the Bal Sainiks, presenting them with gramophones, watches, and the opportunity to join the Army. Singh enlist

Direct rail service to Kashmir won't negatively impact Jammu: Omar Abdullah

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday allayed fears of any negative fallout on Jammu after the launch of direct rail service between Kashmir and the rest of the country anytime soon, saying his government will ensure that the region benefits immensely by the completion of the long-pending project. Abdullah was speaking at a function organised here in connection with the virtual inauguration of the Jammu railway division by Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the start of direct train service to Kashmir from Katra, with the final trial run scheduled for Tuesday. "Two days ago, we got this good news through media that the trial train reached Katra from Srinagar. It is expected that very soon, the prime minister will inaugurate this section which will complete the railway line and immensely benefit the people of the region," the chief minister said. However, he said there are some concerns among the people related to the rail service, especially in Jammu. "It is .

Rain to intensify Delhi's chill today; IMD predicts drop in temperature

IMD forecasts indicate a decline in temperatures as the week progresses. The maximum temperature is expected to fall to 16 degrees Celsius by January 8

PM Modi to inaugurate railway projects in J&K, Telangana, Odisha today

The Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone for the Rayagada Railway Division Building of East Coast Railway, which will improve connectivity in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and nearby areas

2 soldiers killed, 3 hurt as Army vehicle falls into gorge in J&K

Two Army personnel were killed and three injured when their vehicle fell into a gorge in Jammu and Kashmir's Bandipora district, officials said on Saturday. An Army vehicle skidded off the road and fell into a gorge near SK Payen in the north Kashmir district, they said. The officials added that two soldiers lost their lives while three were rushed to the district hospital in an injured state. The hospital's medical superintendent Dr Masrat Iqbal told reporters that two soldiers were "brought dead". "The three injured (soldiers) were resuscitated and then referred to Srinagar," he added.

J&K's UT status diminution of 'crown of India': Cong leader Karan Singh

Senior Congress leader and veteran politician Karan Singh has demanded the immediate restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and said that the current status of the region is an "unacceptable" diminution of the "crown of India". In a recent interview to PTI Videos, Singh, a three-time Rajya Sabha MP and Sadr-i-Riyasat (constitutional head) of the erstwhile state, also voiced his concerns over the changes following the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution. He noted that before this constitutional change, the entire debate used to revolve around how much autonomy was to be accorded to the state. "The whole game has changed after the abrogation of (Article) 370," Singh said. He said Jammu and Kashmir's transition to a union territory is a diminution of the erstwhile state and it is "unacceptable". Singh noted that a former Indian ambassador to the US said that the current status of Jammu and Kashmir has put it behind states like Himachal Pradesh and Haryana in terms of

Delhi shivers as dense fog blankets national capital; flights diverted

General visibility dropped to zero at 6 am on Friday, prompting authorities to implement measures for safe operations

Border areas, remote villages in Ladakh digitally connected: Army

Sustained efforts by the Army, in collaboration with telecom service providers, in the past five months has brought border areas and remote villages in Ladakh, including remote locations of Kargil and Siachen, on the digital connectivity map. In a post on X on Thursday, the Indian Army also shared a video of this journey and glimpses of the change it has brought to the lives of local people in the region. In its post captioned 'Indian Army for India's First Villages: Bringing Connectivity & Hope to Remote Areas', the Army said the border areas and remote villages in Ladakh were "devoid of 4G mobile connectivity" until June 2024. "This was depriving the local communities from being connected to the digital revolution in the nation. The Indian Army in collaboration with Bharti Airtel set out to ensure connectivity in these First Villages of India," it said. The Army further said the Leh-based Fire and Fury Corps "proactively engaged all the telecom service providers" and assisted ...

Weather update today: Freezing temperatures in J&K, AQI surges in Kolkata

The temperature dipped in Jammu and Kashmir as the minimum temperature went down -12.68 degrees Celsius with several regions witnessing snowfall

200 units free will be rolled out only after meters are installed: Omar

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday announced that the state government will be able to provide 200 units of electricity for free to consumers only if meters are installed.He added that the scheme would likely be rolled out from March- April this year.The Chief Minister noted that the consumption of electricity in the state is more than the supply and J-K's Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT & C) losses are already high, nearly 50 per cent.CM Abdullah asserted that the power supply can be increased after under construction power projects in the territory gets completed.Addressing a press conference, CM Abdullah said, "200 units free will be rolled out only after the areas are metered. How else would you measure the units? When we roll out this scheme in March-April, all can benefit from this scheme.""The electricity load that we have is much more than what we are supplying. The sooner our power projects which are being constructed here finish, would be ..

Hope UT status temporary, Centre should restore statehood soon: Omar

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Thursday expressed hope that Jammu and Kashmir's Union Territory status is a temporary phase and that the central government fulfils its promise of restoring its statehood. "It has been a little over two months since we came to power. It took us time to understand how the UT government works. We have been associated with the government earlier, but there is a vast difference between that form and the present form," Abdullah said at a media interaction at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) here. The chief minister said the start of the new government has been "decent" and that they "did not find much difficulty" in it. "We are bound by our election promises. We have started the process of implementing some of the promises and for other promises, we need change in the system. I hope J-K being a UT is a temporary phase," Abdullah said. "We the people are now expecting that the promises made with us will be fulfilled. The biggest ...

J&K Police arrests 4 associates of JeM terrorist outfit from Pulwama

Jammu and Kashmir Police on Wednesday arrested four associates of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorist outfit from Awantipora area of Pulwama district. "Police in Awantipora along with security forces have arrested four terrorist associates of proscribed terror outfit JeM in Tral area," a police spokesperson said. He said the arrested terrorist associates have been identified as Mudasir Ahmad Naik, Umar Nazir Sheikh, Inayat Firdoos and Salman Nazir Lone. The spokesperson said incriminating materials have been recovered from their possession. The arrested individuals were involved in providing logistics support and transportation of arms and ammunition to the active terrorists of proscribed terror outfit JeM in Tral and Awantipora areas, the spokesperson said.

Katra returns to normalcy after weeklong shutdown against ropeway project

Katra -- the base camp for pilgrims visiting the Mata Vaishno Devi temple in Jammu and Kashmir -- resumed normal business activity on Wednesday after a week-long shutdown protesting a proposed ropeway project in the Trikuta hills of Reasi district. Eighteen people detained by police during the protests were also released, sparking overnight celebrations in the holy town. "All shops, restaurants, and business establishments reopened after a week-long closure due to the shutdown, while traffic movement was also restored, bringing much relief to the pilgrims," an official said. With the return of normalcy, hundreds of pilgrims thronged the holy town on the first day of the year to pay obeisance at the cave shrine, with long serpentine queues seen at the entry points in Katra and Bhawan. "We are very happy that the bandh has ended. It was causing huge inconvenience to us. We have come here to pay obeisance on the first day of the new year," Suresh Kadam, a resident of Pune, said. The