Page 7 - Jammu And Kashmir

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

CM Omar Abdullah puts all departments on high alert amid heavy rains in J-K

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday directed all departments concerned to remain on high alert amid heavy rains which lashed wide parts of the Union Territory. He has also advised people to remain cautious amid a weather forecast predicting moderate to intense rainfall with possibility of cloudbursts, flash floods and landslides in high altitude areas till August 27. In a post on X, the office of the chief minister said Abdullah has directed all departments to remain on high alert, as heavy rains have caused waterlogging in several residential areas, with rivers and nallahs flowing above danger mark. Control rooms are active and CM Office is in touch with departments. Priority is being given to drainage in affected areas and restoration of essential services like water supply and power. People are advised to remain cautious, the chief minister said. Heavy rains battered most parts of Jammu and Kashmir overnight, triggering flood-like situation in several low-ly

Over ₹6.43 crore collected in fee for 75 naib-tehsildar posts in J-K

The recruitment for just 75 naib tehsildar posts has turned into a windfall for Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB) which has collected over Rs 6.43 crore from aspirants in application fees, according to information obtained through a Right to Information (RTI) query. With each form priced at Rs 600 for general and Rs 500 for reserved category, the money collected shows that over one lakh aspirants had applied for the posts but the deferment of the recruitment process last month has now left these candidates in limbo, RTI activist Raman Kumar Sharma said. "The sheer scale of the response over one lakh candidates vying for a meagre 75 posts speaks volumes about the deepening unemployment crisis. It reflects the desperation of educated youth who, despite degrees and qualifications, are left with few opportunities," Sharma, who filed the RTI application, told PTI. The JKSSB in its response to the query said that an amount of Rs 6,43,28,400 was collected as fees from th

J&K begins taking over 215 schools linked to banned 'Jamaat-e-Islami'

Jammu and Kashmir government on Saturday began the process of taking over the management of 215 schools affiliated with the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), officials said. On Saturday morning, teams from the district administration and police visited these schools across the valley and took over their management, the officials said. They said principals of the respective nearest higher secondary schools also accompanied the administration teams to take over the management of these schools. The process follows after the School Education Department on Friday ordered the takeover of the schools affiliated with JeI and its Falah-e-Aam Trust. "The Managing Committee of the 215 schools shall be taken over by the District Magistrate/ Deputy Commissioner concerned who shall propose a fresh Managing Committee in due course for the concerned schools after getting these duly verified," the order said. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs, on February 28, 2019, and again on February 27, 2024, ...

J-K LG orders dismissal of 2 govt employees over alleged terror links

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday terminated the services of two government employees in the Union Territory over their alleged involvement in terror activities, officials said. The decision was taken under Article 311 (2)(c) of the Constitution, the officials said. The employees were identified as Siyad Ahmad Khan, Assistant Stockman in Sheep Husbandry Department, and a resident of Keran area, and Khurshid Ahmad Rather, a school teacher, and a resident of Karnah area -- both in north Kashmir's Kupwara district. The officials said the Lieutenant Governor was satisfied after considering the facts and circumstances of the cases. "On the basis of the information available, the activities of the two are such as to warrant their dismissal from service," they said.

Kishtwar cloudburst: Multi-agency search intensifies to trace 33 missing

The multi-agency search operation to trace 33 missing persons in cloudburst-hit Kishtwar district in Jammu and Kashmir entered the eighth day on Thursday, officials said. The death toll in the natural calamity that struck the last motorable village en route to the Machail Mata temple on August 14 during the yatra stands at 65, including three CISF personnel and one Special Police Officer (SPO) of J-K Police. Over 100 people were injured. "The search operation by multiple agencies has been intensified to trace 33 missing persons. Operations are underway at the most affected sites by separate teams," a senior official told PTI. The focus of the operation has been laid at three locations -- the major impact site near a langar (community kitchen), the area where houses were washed away, and the Bhuat nallah in Gulabgarh-Paddar areas. Joint teams of police, Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), CISF, Border Roads Organisation (BRO), civil .

One dead, 39 injured as bus carrying pilgrims falls into gorge in J&K

A bus carrying pilgrims to the cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi skidded off the Jammu-Pathankot highway and fell into a gorge in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba district on Thursday, leaving one person dead and 39 others injured, officials said. The accident took place at Jatwal, when the bus carrying pilgrims to Katra from Uttar Pradesh, suffered a tyre burst and skidded off the highway near a small bridge, they said. The deceased was identified as 45-year-old Iqbal Singh of Amroha, they added. A rescue operation was launched and the injured were shifted to the hospital in Samba. Seven of them were later admitted to AIIMS Vijaypur.

Kishtwar cloudburst: Search continues as families look for those missing

A day earlier, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said that it might be impossible to find anyone alive in the Kishtwar incident

Govt likely to introduce bill to restore J&K statehood in LS on Aug 20

On Aug 5, 2019, Centre abrogated Article 370 and 35A, ending J&K's special status

Kishtwar cloudburst: Death toll climbs to 64 after woman's body recovered

Body of a woman was recovered in this cloudburst-hit village in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district, taking the death toll to 64, officials said, as the extensive rescue and relief operation entered the sixth day on Tuesday. The decomposed body was sighted downstream and subsequently recovered by the rescuers this morning amid intensified search operation with the improvement in the weather, the officials said. Sniffer dogs also helped recover a lower body part of another victim under the debris of a collapsed house but the officials said it is believed to be that of a person whose body was recovered on the first day of the tragedy. The rescue teams are working at multiple locations, especially the major impact spot near a langar (community kitchen) site, sifting through the rubble using heavy machinery, including earth movers and sniffer dogs. With the recovery of one more body, the death toll in the flash floods triggered by the cloudburst in Chisoti, the last motorable village

Heavy rain alert in J&K's Poonch for 56 hrs; admin remains vigilant

Five relief columns of the White Knight Corps carried out rescue and relief operations in flood-hit Chasoti area of Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district

Jammu-Srinagar highway shut following shooting stones, landslides in Ramban

The Jammu-Srinagar national highway was shut for traffic early Monday after heavy rains triggered multiple landslides and shooting stones from hillocks overlooking the arterial road in Ramban district, officials said. Traffic is plying normally on inter-regional roads -- Mughal and Sinthan roads -- and commuters are advised to follow lane discipline as overtaking will cause congestion, they said. "Jammu-Srinagar highway is closed due to shooting stones at several places. Heavy rains are going on along the highway. All types of vehicular movement have been stopped," an advisory of the J-K Traffic Police Department said. It further said commuters are advised not to travel until the weather improves and the road is cleared. Heavy rains have triggered landslides on the national highway near Sharda Mata temple in Udhampur district besides Monkey Morh and the Maroog area of Ramban district. Men and machines are working to clear the highway of blockades and make it trafficable, they sai

Search for missing continues on day 5 in J&K's Kishtwar despite heavy rain

Braving heavy rains and difficult terrain, rescuers pressed on with the large-scale search operation to trace those buried under debris in this cloudburst-hit remote village of Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar on the fifth day on Monday, officials said. Donning rain coats, the rescue teams were seen working at multiple locations, especially the major impact spot near a langar (community kitchen) site, despite the downpour, sifting through the rubble using heavy machinery, including earth movers and sniffer dogs. Cloudburst struck Chisoti, the last motorable village en route to the Machail Mata temple, on August 14, killing 61 people, including three CISF personnel and one Special Police Officer, and leaving over 100 others injured. The number of missing people has been reported as around 50 after a fresh revision of the list. The flash-floods triggered by the cloudburst left a trail of destruction, flattening a makeshift market, a langar site for the annual Machail Mata yatra, damaging

Kishtwar cloudburst: 75 victims admitted in GMC Jammu; 1 dead, 4 critical

In the aftermath of a massive cloudburst in Kishtwar district, a total of 75 patients were admitted in the Government Medical College (GMC) Hospital here and one of them succumbed to injuries during treatment, while the condition of four others continues to be "critical". In addition, 11 bodies of the victims and one body part were also brought to the hospital mortuary from the cloudburst-hit Chisoti village and they were subsequently handed over to their next of kin after completion of medical formalities, official data released by the hospital said on Sunday. The cloudburst struck Chisoti, the last motorable village en route the Machail Mata temple, on August 14, leaving 61 persons mostly devotees dead, over 100 injured and 50 others missing. According to the data, the GMC operated 24 of the 75 patients and one of them, Ashok Kumar (35) of Vijaypur area of Samba district, died on August 16. Among the 47 patients still admitted in the hospital, four are in critical condition, th

Jammu administration orders closure of all schools today due to bad weather

A cloudburst in Kathua on Sunday triggered flash floods and landslides, prompting intensified rescue operations to retrieve stranded vehicles

Death toll in cloudburst, landslide in J-K's Kathua rises to seven

A cloudburst cut off a remote village in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district amid heavy overnight rains, officials said on Sunday. There was no immediate report of any casualty. The officials said the cloudburst hit Jod Ghati in Rajbagh area of the district during the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, snapping access to the village and causing some damage to land and property. A joint team of police and SDRF have been rushed to the village and further details are awaited, they said. They said landslides also hit Bagard and Changda villages under the jurisdiction of Kathua police station and Dilwan-Hutli in Lakhanpur police station area but there was no major report of damage. The heavy rains have led to sharp increase in the level in most of the water bodies with the Ujh river flowing near the danger mark, the officials said. The district administration is closely watching the situation and have requested people to stay away from water bodies for their safety, the offici

J-K CM calls for expert guidance to reduce risks after Himalayan disasters

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday expressed concern over the recent natural calamities in the Union Territory, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand and called for consultation with experts to see what can be done to "mitigate the risks and dangers". Talking to reporters near Chasoti on his return to this cloudburst-hit remote village in Kishtwar district, he said the entire Himalayan belt is now more prone to glacial lake bursts and cloudbursts. He was responding to a question about possibility of forming a team of experts by his government to safeguard the fragile ecosystem in Jammu and Kashmir. We are going to have a look at it. It is not just what is happening in J-K. Look at the scary videos that we saw from Uttarakhand. What is happening in Himachal? We are all now, I think, prone to these glacial lake bursts and cloudbursts. To this freak vague weather, we will have to collectively and individually consult experts to see what we can do to mitigate the risk