Page 38 - Jammu And Kashmir

Pakistan's 2025 New Year's resolution: Rake up Kashmir again with UNSC role

Pakistan begins its two-year term as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council today, the first day of the new year

18 protesters detained in stir against Katra ropeway project released

The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Tuesday formed a four-member committee to hold talks with those protesting against the Katra ropeway project and announced that it has decided to release all those detained during protests. Jammu Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar told reporters that the decisions were taken after holding detailed discussions with members of the civil society. "After the discussions, it was decided that all those detained will be released and the market will be reopened," he said. "Secondly, the work on the ropeway will remain suspended until the committee completes its discussions," he said. "A four-member committee has been formed by the lieutenant governor," Kumar said. Kumar and the CEO of the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board are among the members of the committee. The divisional commissioner, flanked by Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Sangharsh Samiti leaders, said all issues will be discussed during the committee's meetings. "The shops will be reopened tonigh

Vaishno Devi Shrine records second highest number of pilgrims in decade

Efforts are underway to provide more facilities for the devotees and that the footfall in Katra will increase with the improvement in connectivity

Delhi shivers on New Year's Day as frigid winds intensify cold wave

The Delhi Weather Centre has warned of worsening cold wave conditions from Wednesday, with wind speeds between 20 and 30 km/h likely to lower temperatures further

Shutdown in Katra continues: Why are locals protesting the ropeway project

Authorities detained protestors for opposing the Rs 250 crore ropeway project in Katra, triggering hunger strikes

Protests continue in Katra against ropeway project in Trikuta hills

The health department officials conducted a full medical check-up of the youths continuing their hunger strike to press for the release of several persons detained during protests in Katra, the base camp of Mata Vaishno Devi, with the holy town observing a shutdown for the seventh day on Tuesday against the proposed ropeway project in Trikuta hills of Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district. The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Sangharsh Samiti called for the shutdown on Wednesday, announcing that all activities in Katra would remain suspended. All shops, restaurants and business establishments remained closed for the seventh day on Tuesday and traffic stayed off the roads in the holy town following the Samiti's call for protest. The shutdown has disrupted normal life in one of the busiest towns in the country, as thousands of pilgrims arrive daily to pay obeisance at the cave shrine. Eight youths are on a hunger strike, demanding the release of 18 members of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Sangharsh

J&K Cong seeks meeting with L-G to discuss Katra shutdown, detentions

Expressing concern over the "inhumane treatment" of detained leaders spearheading the agitation against the proposed ropeway in Katra, the Congress on Monday sought a meeting with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to discuss the situation. The shutdown against the proposed ropeway in the Trikuta hills of Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district entered its sixth day on Monday. Youth activists continued their hunger strike to demand the release of protesters detained by police on December 25. The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Sangharsh Samiti called for a shutdown on December 25, announcing that all activities in the district's Katra town -- the base camp for pilgrims visiting the Mata Vaishno Devi temple -- would remain suspended during this period. The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board recently decided to move forward with a Rs 250-crore passenger ropeway project between Tarakote Marg to Sanji Chhat along the 12-kilometre track to the shrine after shelving the project in the past due to simila

North India struggles with cold wave, IMD warns of harsher conditions

Reduced visibility due to dense fog has already started disrupting road and rail traffic, adding to the challenges posed by plummeting temperatures

Kashmir's Gulmarg, Pahalgam face sub-zero temp amid slight dip in cold

Gulmarg and Pahalgam in Kashmir continued to experience severe subzero temperatures while the rest of the valley saw slight relief from the cold wave, officials said on Sunday. Gulmarg, a tourist resort town known for skiing activities in north Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 8.0 degree Celsius, the Meteorological department said. The base camp for annual Amarnath Yatra in south Kashmir, Pahalgam, registered a minimum of minus 8.5 degree Celsius, the department said. In Srinagar the mercury dipped to minus 0.2 degrees Celsius on Saturday night -- two degrees above the normal temperature for this time of the year, it added. Qazigund, the gateway town to Kashmir, logged a minimum temperature of minus 0.4 degree Celsius, while Konibal in Parampore recorded a low of minus 1.0 degree Celsius, the weather office said. Kupwara in north Kashmir registered minus 1.0 degrees Celsius while in south Kashmir, Kokernag recorded 1.8 degrees Celsius, the office said. Kashmir is currently under

Jammu-Srinagar highway reopens after day-long closure due to snowfall

The 270-km Jammu-Srinagar highway was on Sunday reopened for vehicular traffic after a day-long closure due to heavy snowfall, allowing stranded vehicles to proceed to their respective destinations, officials said. However, several other important inter-district routes, including the Mughal Road, Sinthan Pass, Sonamarg-Kargil inter-UT road, and Bhaderwah-Chamba inter-state road, remained closed for vehicular traffic due to heavy snowfall. "The highway has been reopened today following the clearance of snow accumulated on various stretches of the road," a traffic official said. The stranded vehicles along the highway are being cleared, he added. "Passenger traffic is plying on the highway. Commuters are advised to follow lane discipline, as overtaking may cause congestion," J-K Traffic Police said in an advisory. It also advised commuters to drive cautiously, as the road is slippery between Banihal and Qazigund. The Mughal Road, which serves as an alternative link to the Kashmir V

Delhi's air gets better after rainfall as temperature drops in North India

Delhi woke up to cloudy skies with scanty to no rainfall in parts of the National Capital Region (NCR) in the early hours of Sunday (December 29)

Indian Army evacuates tourists, locals stranded in Gulmarg snowfall

The Chinar Warriors corps of the Indian Army has responded to a distress call from civil administration to evacuate tourists stranded in Gulmarg district of the territory, said Chinar Corps on Saturday.The tourists and civilians were stranded due to unprecedented heavy snowfall in tourist destination Gulmarg and the subsequent closure of the road to Tanmarg.Responding to the call, the Army personnel evacuated 68 civilians, including 30 men and women each and eight children and provided meals, shelter and medication to 137 tourists.In a social media post on X, Chinar Corps, Indian Army wrote, "Chinar Warriors responded to a distress call from civil administration to evacuate tourists stranded due to unprecedented heavy snowfall in tourist destination of Gulmarg and the subsequent closure of the road to Tanmarg. Providing assistance in evacuation of 68 civilians including 30 ladies, 30 gentlemen and 8 children along with provisioning of hot meals, shelter & medication for a total .

2000 vehicles stuck in Anantnag, CM Omar Abdullah promises relief measures

Around 2,000 vehicles were stuck at Qazigund town in Jammu and Kashmir's (J-K) Anantnag following the valley's first snowfall of the season on Friday, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said.CM Abdullah mentioned that he has spoken with the Deputy Commissioner of Anantnag about the current situation, adding that heavy vehicles are being allowed to move & efforts are on to clear the rest of the stranded vehicles."In a post on X on Friday night, CM Omar Abdullah said, "Just spoke to DC Anantnag about the current situation of the road between Qazigund & the tunnel. The icy conditions have caused traffic to back up. The stranded vehicles, in both directions, are slowly moving & where necessary being assisted."He added that DC was on the spot with his team. "I've instructed him to ensure that vehicles with families & children must be given priority.""If necessary arrangements for overnight shelter will be made. The DC is accompanied by an ambulance in case of any medical .

Delhi shivers as rain, winds intensify winter chill; more showers likely

The rain, which started early on Thursday, has already made December 2024 one of the wettest in history, with total rainfall recorded at 42.8 mm, nearly five times the December average of 8.1 mm

Rain catches Delhi unawares, temp drops to 5-year December low at 14.6C

Several parts of Kashmir received fresh snowfall, many their first this season, on Friday, with a slight increase in the minimum temperatures at most places in the valley, while Rajasthan and Delhi were cold, overcast, and smitten by rain. A western disturbance brought rain to all three parts of the country, and elsewhere, with the national capital recording its highest December rainfall in 15 years, seeing the day temperature go down sharply to 14.6 degrees Celsius. Rain also lashed several places in Punjab and Haryana causing the day temperatures in both places to drop sharply. Chandigarh, which was pelted by a hailstorm, saw its maximum temperature come down to 15.9 degrees Celsius. In J-K, snowfall was recorded in Gulmarg, Sonamarg, Pahalgam, Gurez, Zojila axis, Sadhna Top, Mughal Road, and many areas in Bandipora, Baramulla, and Kupwara districts, weather officials said. Plains of Srinagar, Ganderbal, Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian, and Pulwama districts, received their first snow

JKBOSE 2025: Class 10th, 12th exam datesheets announced, details inside

The JKBOSE has released the date sheet for annual regular exams of class 10th to 12th in soft zones. Both the exams will start from Feb-15 and will end on March-17 and March-19, respectively

Railways completes trial run on India's first cable-stayed bridge in J-K

The Railways has successfully conducted a trial run of a tower wagon on India's first cable-stayed rail bridge, the Anji Khad Bridge, in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district, paving the way for the start of rail services to Kashmir in January next year. Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw shared a video clip of the trial run on the social media platform X. The railway ministry issued a statement, saying, "Giving wings to connectivity in Jammu and Kashmir, the trial run of a tower wagon on India's first cable-stayed rail bridge, the Anji Khad Bridge, was successfully completed for the USBRL project." The work on the railway bridge at Anji Khad was completed last month. The completion of the bridge received praise from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL) project is aimed at providing rail connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of the country. The Anji Khad Bridge, featuring a single pylon with a height of 331 metres abov

72-hr shutdown in J-K's Katra begins as protests intensify against ropeway

A 72-hour shutdown by pony wallas, shopkeepers, and other proprietors will begin on Wednesday to protest against a proposed ropeway project in Katra, the base camp for pilgrims visiting the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine. The Shri Mata Vaishnodevi Sangarsh Samiti announced the strike Tuesday, stating that all activities in Katra would remain suspended during the bandh. "We have announced a 72-hour bandh in Katra starting tomorrow against the ropeway project. We seek the support of all residents of Katra to make the strike successful," a Samiti spokesperson said. He said the administration had initially promised to hold a meeting on December 23 but postponed it to 3 pm today. "We met the Deputy Commissioner today. They sought more time to discuss the issue with higher authorities. Therefore, we have decided to proceed with the strike," he said. Last month, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board decided to install the ropeway to facilitate access to the temple for senior citizens, childr

Amitava Chatterjee appointed new managing director, CEO of J-K Bank

Chatterjee will replace Baldev Prakash, whose term comes to an end on December 29

Indian Army Chief, personnel condole death of 5 soldiers in Poonch accident

Indian Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi and members of the Indian Army on Wednesday expressed grief over the death of five soldiers in a road accident in Poonch district.The deceased have been identified as Subedar Dayanand Tirakannavar, Lance Havildar Anoop, Naik Ghadge Shubham Samadhan, Sepoy Nikure Digamber and Sep Mahesh Marigond.Taking to social media X, ADG PI posted, "General Upendra Dwivedi and all ranks of the Indian Army express profound grief on the loss of Subedar Dayanand Tirakannavar, Lance Havildar Anoop, Naik Ghadge Shubham Samadhan, Sepoy Nikure Digamber, and Sep Mahesh Marigond in a tragic and unfortunate road accident while on operational duty in Poonch, J & K.""The Indian Army extends its deepest condolences and stands firm with the bereaved families in this hour of grief," the post added.Indian Army extends its deepest condolences and stands firm with the bereaved families in this hour of grief," the post read.Earlier today, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar