March 2022

Srinagar, March 03: Chamber of Commerce and Industry Kashmir (CCIK) has urged the J&K Bank to give a time period of two years to the loan defaulters for the repayment through one time settlement scheme.

In this regard, CCIK President Tariq Rashid Ghani held a detailed meeting with J&K Bank CEO Baldev Prakash and President Rayees Maqbool and apprised them about the financial stress business units are undergoing due to the impact of prolonged Covid 19 pandemic.
He urged the Bank management to provide two years of time for the borrowers to clear their debt through one time settlement scheme and extend the last date of availing the scheme from March 15 to May ending.
The CCIK further urged the Bank authorities to not deduct insurance amount against the loan amount from borrowers without their consent.
“The borrower should be at liberty to take the insurance policy of the loan amount from any company,” he said.
The CCIK President further requested the JKB management to not publish the details of the defaulters in the newspapers which damages their business reputation.
CCIK said most of the business units in the Valley are under financial stress due to sluggish business on account of repeated Covid lockdowns and slow economic activities.
The chamber urged the LG Administration to take into account the financial crisis of the businessmen and impress upon the JKB to provide moratorium for restructuring the loans so that NPAs are revitalized.

Unknown gunmen suspected to be militants shot dead a Panch in Kolpora area of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district, officials said.

They said the gunmen fired upon the Panch, Mohammad Yaqoob Dar son of Ghulam, of Sundoo Kulgam this evening. He was shifted to hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.

Medical Superintendent of the district hospital Kulgam Dr Muzaffar Zargar confirmed to GNS that Dar was brought dead to the hospital. He said that Dar had bulletin injuries in chest and neck.

A police officer told GNS that Dar was brought dead to hospital and further investigations are underway. Sources said that Dar was either independent or associated with BJP but official confirmation was awaited. (GNS)

Amid cloud cover, night temperature rose considerably in Jammu and Kashmir and mercury settled sub-zero level except Gulmarg and Pahalgam on Tuesday.

A meteorological department official told GNS that Srinagar, the summer capital of J&K, recorded a rise by 2.8°C with mercury settling at minus 3.4°C against last night’s 0.6°C.

Qazigund, the gateway town of Kashmir, recorded a low of 1.2°C against minus 3.8 on the previous night, he said.

Kokernag, also in south Kashmir, had a low of 0.5°C against minus 2.6°C on the previous night, the official said.

Pahalgam, the famous resort in south Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 3.5°C against minus 6.8°C last night, he said.

Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 4.5°C against minus 8.0°C on the previous night, he said.

The temperature was 1.3°C below normal for this time of the year in the famous resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, he said.

Kupwara town in north Kashmir recorded a low of 3.3°C against minus 1.9 °C on the previous night, the official said.

While ‘Chillai Kalan’, the 40-day long harshest period of winter ended on January 30, and 20-day long ‘Chillai Khurd’ culminated on February 19, Kashmir is presently under the grip of 10-day-long ‘Chilla Bachha’.

Jammu recorded a low of 12.3°C against 7.9°C on the previous night, the official said. The temperature was 0.7°C above normal for the J&K’s winter capital during this time of the year, he said.

Banihal recorded a low of 5.4°C, Batote had a minimum of 5.6°C while Bhaderwah recorded a low of 3.9°C, the official said.

Ladakh’s Leh recorded a minimum of minus 7.2°C against last night minus 12.8°C on the previous night while automatic Kargil station at recorded a low of minus 11.2°C. Drass, the second coldest place in the world after Siberia, recorded a low of minus 14.7°C, against 22.0°C on the previous night, officials said.

“There is a possibility of light rain/snow (over higher reaches) during 2-3rd March,” the official said. “There’s no forecast of any significant weather till March 5,” he added. (GNS)